The Engagement
by 0319Fina
Summary: Stefan is getting married and invites his friends to the wedding. He invites his friends to help him plan it, which comes with some problem. Caroline is in love with him and he thought for a long time Elena was the love of his life. The problem enlarges when his friends meet his fiancee's brothers. Klaroline, Kalijah, Kennett, Stebekah, Delena. AH/AU I don't own the Vampire Diaries
1. The Beginning

**This is my story The Engagement. A Vampire Diaries Fanfic how is All Human (AH) and, of course, Alternative Universe (AU). It will feature Stebekah, Klaroline, Kalijah, Kennett, and Delena.**

 **Summary:**

 **Stefan is getting married to his girlfriend of one year and invites his friends to help to plan the wedding. But things get a little complicated when he finds out his best friend is in love with him. And when he meets his ex, the girl he thought was the love of his life, again.**

 **Caroline has been in love with Stefan forever, and he doesn't have a clue. Now she got to spend a few weeks with his best friend, an ill-tempered but yet sweet Klaus. Maybe the love of her life isn't the man she been in love with since high school after all.**

 **Boonie is coming over her ex, Jeremy, that cheated on her when she meets the adventurous and unserious Kol that never have been in love, but somehow they match.**

 **Katherine is a model and is determined to never fall in love. That change though when she meets Elijah, the hot businessman that seem to do everything to win her heart.**

 **Elena finds it weird that she is invited to her ex's wedding, especially when the girl he is marrying doesn't like her. But she soon gets other things to think about, when she meets Damon again and old feelings that she has hidden for years shows up under the surface.**

 **Minor Steroline/Steroline friendship and past Stelena**

 **I don't own the Vampire Diaries or the characters, only the storyline is mine!**

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 **Chapter 1 - The Beginning**

When Caroline had gotten the phone call telling her that Stefan was ENGAGED, to a woman from England that he met on his father's vineyard in Italy, where he use to spends 6 months of the year, she was both excited, because one of her best friends are getting married, HELLO?, and sad, because deep down she kind of always hoped that now that he isn't together with Elena anymore, and haven't been for two years, five months and 16 days, he would settled for her.

But she Caroline Forbes, so after crying it out one evening at Katherine's, with fine wine and a best friend that was used to her babbling, she booked first available tickets down there for herself, Katherine, Elena, Katherine's good twin sister, Stefan's ex and Caroline's childhood best friend, and Bonnie, the last girl in the gang that is Elena's best friend.

Elena has to admit that she doesn't like flying. After crashing with the car in the accident when hers and Katherine's parents died she has never been a fan of high noises or sudden movements when she's traveling. Bonnie is giving her a small smile and hugs her hand. Elena tries to smile back but squeals when the plane lifts off the ground and crushes Bonnie's hand in her own. she can't even remember why she agreed to this in the beginning. Yes, it is fun that Stefan's getting married but Elena can't help to feel like she shouldn't be there.

She and Stefan dated through the later years of high school and broke up the summer after graduation, and it was weird to be invited to plan your ex's wedding with a girl she had never met. And then there was that other issue, Damon. Stefan's undeniably hotter, bigger brother. Elena had met him three years ago when she still was dating Stefan and he had seemed interested in her. Either that or he wanted to piss his brother off. In any case, had he made his way to Elena's thoughts ever since. He and his devilishly good looks and that eye-thing that he did that she still don't wanna admit she found sexy.

Bonnie sits beside Elena and is feeling a little underdressed. Katherine had a little black dress with thin straps and that was really short and black Stilettos with at least 10 cm heels. Her hair is curly and not a hair lays out of place and her makeup is perfect. Even Caroline's makeup is on fleek and with the braided diadem, a beautiful yellow sundress with brown flowers and the brown high boots, with a little heel on and she looks like a princess.

Elena, always classy and beautiful, has a red playsuit with short legs and arms and small whites flowers on and a big black belt. Her hair is straight, her makeup is light and she was low cut black boots to it with small.

It is not that Bonnie feels ugly, even though she knows that the others are prettier than her, but the first impression is important and she has just a jeans denim overall and a loose shirt in dark red with her shoulder length hair free and no makeup. But she forgets all about it when she sees Stefan again after 5 full months and then they are driving through nature with a full car and she is talking to Elena about the view.

Katherine is quiet on the car ride to Stefan's dad's place. Caroline and Stefan are babbling in the front and on her right are Elena and Bonnie discussing the view. And Damon, interesting. What is even more interesting is that Elena is blushing and Bonnie is smiling so big that Katherine can see all her white teeth.

"Soo… you still have a crush on Damon?" she asked bluntly, for dancing around a subject isn't her style. Elena hisses her but Caroline and Stefan are already quiet, so she is assuming that they, too, heard her. Before Elena can answers the question, still blushing like mad, to Katherine's amusement, Stefan cuts in.

"Stay away from my brother, Elena. He is bad news. Plus that he hasn't left this place in years, and you just gonna be here for 3 weeks, then you leave. And believe me, my brother is a heart stealer. He is just going to hurt you"

The rest of the car drive is silent after Caroline has agreed with Stefan that Damon is bad news, they had a spat back when Damon visited three years ago, Katherine still doesn't know what about, and Elena muttered some kind of half promise to stay away from the hotter Salvatore. It's almost so Katherine wishes that she hadn't asked the question. Almost, because she finds awkward silences amusing and she can really need a break after 3 months of straight work.

Rebekah isn't nervous, not at all. She is sitting at the big kitchen table in the Maison that belongs to her fiance's father. Elijah, her oldest brother sits opposite to her, in his black suit with a white button down and a dark purple tie. Klaus is placed on his left and her right, at the end of the table, with a light grey henley and dark, washed out jeans shorts. Kol, her twin brother sat on Elijah's right side in a dark blue button-down with several buttons open and the arms rolled up and fake jeans shorts.

Damon, her fiance's brother is in the kitchen, where he always is, not that it bothers her, with all his ironic sayings and mocking attitude is he exactly like Kol, and it was enough to be in the same room as one of them. She fixes her red skirt one more time and pulls down her leather top a little bit so that the gap between the two become a little smaller.

She took off her black Stilettos so that she can tap her feet freely on the floor and after yet another quick look at the clock does she start to fidget with the diamond ring on her finger. Her brothers are smiling at each other, clearly spotting her nervosity but are smart enough to not comment on it.

Stefan takes one of Katherine's bags from the back. Seriously, that girl is the only one he knows, without maybe his fiance that would take two big bags on a four weeks trip. The other girls take their own and Stefan proudly point out the different parts of the farm, with a promise to show them around later, before he takes them in through the kitchen door, where Damon stands cooking, as usual. He has a black tight t-shirt and long black jeans, much similar to Stefan's own grey t-shirt and blue jeans shorts.

Damon looks up when Stefan comes in with his girlfriends behind him. Blondie walks closest to him, of course. His brother was just so oblivious about how he had Caroline wrapped around his finger. Kit Kat walks beside her and Damon frowns, that little girl played him once upon a time. She found out that he was in love with Elena so she came to him in the middle of the night, pretending to be her. He believed her and, stupid as he were, he slept with her. When he did find out he took revenge by taking out his sexual frustrations on Caroline. Maybe they weren't that small anymore he soon realizes when he looks at them.

They had grown up under the four years he hadn't seen them. Then Bonnie comes in, the only one that he didn't run from when he moved from Mystic falls for good three years ago. She is also clearly more grown up and beautiful now then she was then. But she isn't the one that catches his eye, Elena is. She is even more breathtaking now then she was all those years ago and he finds himself drowning in her beautiful brown orbs, exactly like he did when he met her the first time.

"Shall we go to the table, brother?" Stefan asks him and pulls him away from Elena's eyes. He sees her look at the ground, blushing, in the corner of her eye. He is the only one, not counting Katherine, that knows about his true feelings for Elena and Damon guess that he tries to protect his girlfriend-turned-friend from him. Not that Damon can blame him.

"Absolutely brother" he therefore says and does a sweeping motion at the door.

Elijah looks at his siblings. Rebekah is clearly nervous, which maybe isn't that shocking if you know that she is supposed to meet her finances best friends, and ex-girlfriend as Damon said at least fifty times, for the first time today. Kol is bored, currently playing with the baseball that he always seems to carry with him. Niklaus is also nervous, even though that doesn't show as clear.

Stefan is after all his best friend and Elijah knows that he is a little afraid of Stefan liking one of these girls more than him. That's why Niklaus was so much against the relationship between his mate and sister from the beginning. But now is the almost the most supportive. Elijah is also very pleased with his sister's choice. Stefan is a mature, almost permissive guy that matches his sister's hot temperament perfectly.

Klaus lifts his head from the thought of New Orleans, and his company, when he hears footsteps getting closer. A beautiful brunette and Stefan walks in with a stunning blond in their track. His eyes stay at her. Her nice curly hair and nervous face are mesmerizing and he can't turn away. Not even when Elena, the girl he planned on glaring at the whole evening so that she won't get in between his sister and Stefan, walks in.

He is totally missing the cute dark girl that walks in last, to fascinated of the confident steps of the blond when she walks to the table and sits down opposite to him, on the other end and fishes up a notebook and a pen from her bag before she sits down.

Stefan goes to his fiance and Klaus automatically lifts an arm too high five him when he passes. The beautiful girl smiles and the others start to sit down as well. The twin sister on either side of her, the one that is Stefan's ex is not on his side, thank god, because if she were Klaus would have to do something and he is very pleased with just looking at the extraordinary woman in front of him. The last brunette sits down beside Stefan and Damon, that walks in a little bit behind them sits beside Kol.

Then she talks, and Klaus is finally sure that she is an angel because no human can talk like that and not be surrounded by men that want to marry her.

"Okay… I am Caroline and I think we should have a round of names when you also say your relationship with the groom or bride, and what you are doing at the wedding" She is quite a few seconds, looking around and finally meeting his eyes. When she sees him staring at her she looks down and blushes and he can't help but smile, because she is cute when she is embarrassed. "I start. I am Caroline Forbes and I am Stefan's best friend. And I am going to host the wedding" her friend on her right immediately picks up and keeps going.

"I am Elena and Stefan's my childhood friend" she says and then it is the next girl. That Klaus just has his first look at. She is nothing compared to Caroline.

"My name is Bonnie and I am Stefan's friend." the pretty girl that sits on his right says and Kol knows it is his time to speak. When he doesn't Bonnie looks at him with big brown and green eyes and he can't help but feel a little stuck in. When she looks away a few seconds later he meets the eye of a clearly annoyed Caroline. The girl is absolutely bossy and Kol is going to have some fun with her, another time because he can feel both of his older brothers scolding looks on his back.

"I am Bekah's twin brother and I am supposed to have a speech and are second best man to my future brother in law here" he says and waves a little Stefan's way.

"Why do we need a backup best man?" Caroline asks, looking at Stefan.

"Because Damon is also the chef so he can't be with me all the time" Caroline nods her hand and signals to Elijah that he can go on. A gesture that has Kol rolling his eyes.

"Well my name is Elijah and I am Rebekah's eldest brother. I am in charge of the wedding and hosting it together with you" Elijah says and it's Nik's turn to go. Kol sees in his brother's eyes that he actually likes this girl, something he has to mock him about later.

"I am Klaus, her brother, and his best friend and I'm going to walk her down the aisle"

"I am Rebekah and I am the bride"

"And I am Stefan and I am the groom" Kol must admit that he likes Stefan, he is a nice guy that makes his twin happy. And he managed to win Nik over, the only problem with the dude is that he doesn't have any humor. Which in itself proved to be quite amusing

"I am Damon, Steffy's brother, best man, and chef"

"And I am Katherine, Stefan's first crush and I am helping Care with the decorations," the last girl says and Kol immediately likes her. She is bold.

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 **This story is also posted on Wattpad**

 **Criticism is always welcome, I like to improve!**

 **Thank you for reading**


	2. The Plan

**Here is the second part!**

 **I got a question about however Freya would appear in this story. The answer is that, yes, I will include her in eventually, but maybe not as the sister, since I already ruined that chance.**

 **This one is from Caroline's point of view. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - The Plan**

Caroline takes a deep breath and tries not to get caught in the eyes of the man opposite to her, Klaus he said, but it is hard when he keeps staring at her like that. She knows who he is. Stefan talks a lot about him. Their best friend's, well if you don't count her, as he uses to say. He should be unpredictable and rough but at the same time fair and value loyalty, something that Stefan will be until the day he died.

"Well I think that we should talk and get to know the teams we are working with so that we don't have any problem later" she says and looks at Rebekah, that is smiling has her hand tangled with Stefan's. Caroline fights down the jealousy and pretends to do something with her notebook, so she avoids looking at them. "We need some clearings on who will work with who" she continues "if you just would give us some orders I'm sure we can come to an agreement".

Rebekah smiles at her and nobs.

"I agree with you, I would love to have your help with this. My fiance can't stop talking how good you are at your job after all" she says the last part right to Stefan with a mocking tone and Caroline fights to keep the smile upon her face. "Klaus, Elijah, you, Stefan and me will be in charge. Even though Stefan and I will probably not be that readable on that day."

Caroline starts to go over things in her head. She needs to talk with Klaus and Elijah and Katherine needs to talk with Rebekah to find out how she wants it and Elena and Bonnie needs something to do and Kol needs to spend time with Stefan, Caroline refuses to let her best friend have a 'second best man' that he doesn't know.

"Caroline there are some more things" Stefan says and Caroline turns her head to him to show that she is listening. Stefan elbows Rebekah and she sighs before she starts to talk.

"I need a maid of honor and since I don't have friends that I want to do it Stefan said I could take one of you" it's clear that Rebekah finds it embarrassing to ask when she turns to Bonnie. "Would you like to be my maid of honor?" she asks and the look on Bonnies face is priceless.

"ME?" Bonnie whisper-shouts and Katherine laugh quietly and both Elena and Caroline glares at her.

"Yes, I don't want someone that dated Stefan in the past and Caroline is our unpaid wedding planner so your the only option" Rebekah continues and when Bonnie doesn't answer she becomes nervous. "You don't have to, I mean someone else could do it and…" Kol rolls his eyes and Rebekah shuts up.

"Of course I will be your maid of honor, it is my… honor" Bonnie says and everyone laughs.

"And we would like Elena to help Damon and Priscilla, that is our housekeeper, in the kitchen. But we want you to have your stuff ready to jump in if someone gets hurt, okay?" Stefan tabs in and looks at Elena. He if anyone knows that she is studying to become a doctor since he was there when she decided to do it.

"Of course, Stefan" Elena says sweetly and Caroline feels the usual bang of jealousy hit her. If you look at Rebekah's unhappy face you can see that she isn't pleased with the look Stefan gives her either.

"Alright, shall we pair up and get to work?" Caroline asks, maybe a bit too loud. When everybody mumbled a yes, or kept quiet she walked over the list she had made in her head.

"Rebekah, you should spend some time with Bonnie, just so you can get to know her and the two of you can discuss dresses and so on…"

"I don't have a dress," Rebekah says lamely.

"You don't have a dress!?" Katherine almost shouts and both Elena and Caroline looks at Rebekah with big eyes.

"Okay girls, we just have to help her find one" Bonnie voices and Caroline redoes the list in her head. Again.

"Yes, okay. We bond today and fix a dress first time tomorrow morning. That should give us enough time to send out an invitation to everybody tomorrow night" she says out loud and everybody looks at her, waiting for orders.

"Rebekah, I still think that you should hang out with Bonnie, you two need to bond before the wedding and I also think that Stefan should bond with Kol" She was going to say more but someone cuts in.

"Not to be like that, love, but since I am Stefan's best friend shouldn't I be his best man if his brother can't?" Klaus asks, eyes on hers. Caroline sighs, she doesn't have the time for a small rivalry between brothers, she had three and a half week to plan a wedding.

"No, because you are supposed to walk Rebekah down the aisle and you can't do both," she says as calmly as she can master. Before anyone has time to say anything else she moves on. "Damon and Elena should go to the kitchen and talk. He can show her around so that she can help him easier in the future and the can discuss the menu"

Caroline looks at Rebekah to see if she has something to say but she is to busy giggling to something Stefan whispers in her ear to realize that Caroline is still talking. Caroline feels irritated. "HELLO GUYS! I am planning your wedding here!" she shouts and the couple pulls back.

"Sorry, Caroline" Stefan mumbles.

"You should go somewhere and get to know Kol, okay?" Caroline asks in a calmer tone. That's what she hated most with him, no matter how stupid he was, she could never stay mad at him. When Stefan nods and Kol doesn't protest she moves on. "You should all go and talk with Katherine as soon as possible. She is a designer and will sketch parts of everyone's clothing, so that we match. If you have any questions or ideas you take it with her"

She looks everybody over and they all seem to listen after her last outburst. Well not Katherine that was looking at her phone but Caroline had stopped trying to make the girl change her ways a long time ago. The girl had somehow always full check on the shot in any case.

"And finally I should talk with Klaus and Elijah" she finishes and looks over at the brothers that both are looking at her with serious eyes. Caroline should just urge everyone to go on when Rebekah stands and clears her throat. Caroline immediately sits down, leaving the spotlight, and hopefully the pressure of Klaus' eyes.

"I just wanted to say that I would like to talk to you girls in the evening" Rebekah says and sits down. Everybody turn their eyes to Caroline and she sighs, is their really no one but her that can think enough to do things without being told to do so? But just as she is going to burst out at everyone Klaus opens his mouth for the first time since she got there.

"Then we should get going, shouldn't we?" He looks directly at Caroline, as if he wants her approval and she can't help but smile at it.

"Yeah" she says quietly and everyone, except Klaus and Elijah, leaves.

She looks at the brothers, that doesn't look alike at all. The only thing they have in common is their clear facial features. Elijah has dark brown hair and warm brown eyes, are long and fit but not broad but Klaus is dirty blond with storming blue eyes, a little shorter and square-shouldered.

"Shall we get going?" she asks when she sees that they are waiting in her.

"Yes, why don't you start and tell us something about you?" Klaus says and Caroline thinks she hears smugness in his voice but she chooses to ignore it.

"Well, I am Stefan's best friend since we were 16 and I work as a wedding planner at home. Your turn" she turns to Klaus because she can't deny that she is curious about him, Stefan never told much more than that he is a troublemaker that doesn't get along with most people and that he totally hates betrayal.

"Well, I am Stefan's best friend and I am an artist and helps my brother's out on our company when I don't have a deal" He says and they glare at each other for a few minutes before both turns to Elijah. That seems to resist the temptation to roll his eyes.

"I am CIO on our firm and, as you may have guessed, the one how spends the most time running it"

"Any girlfriends?" Caroline asks them after a few seconds of silence.

"Why?" is Klaus direct answer and Caroline can see his eyes darkening noticeably. Huh, it had to be a story there that he doesn't want her to hear. And of course that the gossip in her wants nothing but to hear it.

"I was thinking about the table placements, if any of you has a girlfriend she would have a place at the top table" she explains and Klaus breaths out, as if he is pleased that she doesn't know what just made him tense.

"Neither of us have a girlfriend" Elijah says calmly and Caroline turns to him, to confused with Klaus behavior to talk to him.

"Not Kol either?" she asks to double check and at the same time, a dashing brunette walks through the door.

"Checking which of them you can date now when that ass isn't around anymore, are we?" Katherine asks as she sits down and crosses her legs.

"Tyler isn't an ass" is the only thing she can come to think of as defense.

"He dumped you in front of all our friends because 'it wasn't working'. He's an ass"

Caroline blushes and Katherine snorts before she turns to the guys. "She is single too, it's just to take her"

"Kathrine" Caroline hisses but then their giggling. If it's one thing Caroline knows it is that Katherine always will have her back, just as she always will have hers.

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 **I still don't own the Vampire Diaries**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Criticism is welcome, I like to improve.**

 **Thank you!**


	3. The Talks

**This chapter will be from Bonnie's point of view. A character that I love, respect and love to write. I choose, however, to write her a little insecure in this story, though to her just been cheated on. But don't worry, our favorite young Mikaleson will sweep in and help her find her way back to the strong, beautiful, respected woman she is.**

 **I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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 **Chapter 3 - The Talks**

Bonnie has to admit that she is a little nervous to talk to Rebekah. She has never been a good friend to Stefan because he always had a way to run away when things got rough. Never considering how was left to clear things out with Elena and Caroline, how obvious was in love with him.

The fact is that Damon actually stayed with Elena more than Stefan did. Which did a bit to explain why her best friend fell in love with her boyfriend's brother. Because Bonnie knows that Elena was, and still is, in love with him. But she is not sure that Elena figured that out yet.

She wonders if he does the same thing to Rebekah. Because weren't about to be the 'Stefan-clean-up' to one more girl. Rebekah turns to her, clearly just as nervous as Bonnie herself and Bonnie can't help but giggle at it. Rebekah quickly catches on and some of the tension leaves the room.

"Well, I can't say that I have done this before" Rebekah says after a while.

"Me neither. Actually, I think that no one has done this before, you normally know your maid of honor, I believe" she agrees.

"You want a drink? Stefan's family makes wine and I am a little weak for it, I'm afraid" Rebekah walks over to a little bar in the big, light hall.

"Yes please" Bonnie says and takes the glass that the blond girls offer. She smiles and waves at Katherine when she goes back to the dining room to talk to Caroline, Klaus, and Elijah.

"You are really tight with all the girls here, right?" Rebekah asks and Bonnie can hear that the girl feels pretty down by it. Not that much of a surprise when no one of your friends wants to be your maid of honor when you're getting married. If it was Elena that was getting married to Stefan down here Bonnie would rush here to be by her side through everything and she is almost sure that Elena would do the same for her.

"Well, Elena and I have been best friends since middle school" she starts to explain when she follows Rebekah and sits down on one of the benches. "It was around the same time as Damon and Stefan moved to Mystic Falls so they, or maybe mostly Stefan since Damon was five years older, started to hang with us too. Caroline known Elena and Kat from birth, their family's hanged much together." Bonnie stops and looks over at Rebekah before she continues.

"There was a while when we were 16 when I just started dating Jeremy, Elena's little brother, Elena, and Matt, a guy I grew up with still were dating , Caroline was dating Tyler, another boy that she grows up with, and Katherine dated Stefan when we were like the perfect group" she missed those times. When she was in love with her loyal boyfriend and felt like herself and not lost.

"Wasn't Elena the one dating Stefan?" the blond asks.

"Yeah, but Katherine and him and a fling first, just for two months or something. When They broke it of Elena broke up with Matt and she and Stefan started dating a short time afterward. They went different ways after high school and Tyler and Caroline split almost a year ago" it feels good to talk to someone who listens, it had been a while since she and Elena had time for a real girl talk.

"Yes, Stefan told me about that. But you are still dating Jeremy though, right?"

Bonnie can feel the smile disappearing from her lips when she looks to the ground. Rebekah immediately leans forward and places her hand over Bonnie's.

"Sorry, I thought you were still together, Stefan never told me that you broke up" she says regretfully and Bonnie takes a shaking breath, forcing back the tears she has in her eyes.

"He doesn't know" she mumbles quietly "No one knows, he cheated on me" she sniffles and then she breaks, the blond letting her lean on her shoulder, crying into her.

"I'm so sorry" Rebekah says after a while when Bonnie pulls back, Wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"It's not your fault" Bonnie giggles, because it's not like her at all to cry on a strange girls shoulder. But then again, she hadn't felt like herself at all the last weeks "I just didn't think we would end like this, I mean we have been dating for more than four years"

"He sounds like a dick" Rebekah says boldly and Bonnie laughs again, for she clearly is a mess right now. "No, I'm serious, if you are half as loyal as Stefan has described you, is he an ass to leave you that way" Rebekah keeps going. "Not to judge your choice, but you know what I mean" they giggles together one more time.

"I get why Stefan likes you, you are bold enough to tell him when he is wrong, he needs someone like that" Bonnie says when she finally can breathe again. Rebekah throws her hair over her shoulder and puts her hand on her chest in an overdramatic movement.

"Well thank you" she then says with a heavy British accent.

They keep laughing and kidding for what feels like hours and Bonnie have to admit that she hasn't felt this free in a long time. Stefan and Kol walk through the door, smiles on their lips and Kols hand on Stefan's shoulder as if they are besties.

"Katherine wants to talk to you and me, I said we meet her here" Stefan says, never taking his eyes of Rebekah, watching her with such intensiveness that Bonnie feels little nausea. It has been years since Jeremy looked at her that way. Maybe his cheating wasn't that big of a surprise as she had thought it out to be.

"Yes, all right. Is it okay with you?" Rebekah asks turning to Bonnie.

"What!? Yes!" she shakes her head, still a little lost in thoughts after realizing her relationship hadn't been that good that she had thought. Rebekah gives her a worried look but Bonnie shoves her off. "I'm fine, Kol here can show me my room as you talk with Katherine. No problems, I need to unpack anyway" she walks to the shocked, dark-haired boy and puts her hand on his shoulder before she realizes that that's weird and quickly pulls back. Kol looks like a combination between shocked and totally amused when he looks at her and Bonnie feels herself blush, despite her better knowledge.

"Bonnie, are you all right?" Stefan asks and gives her a confused look.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired after the flight." she says, standing still and looking him in the eye, finally getting control over herself again. Kol's eyes still looking at her with amusement.

"Okay. Rebekah and I are going to talk to Katherine and then I show her to her room. Klaus can surely take care of Caroline and if I know my brother will he take pleasure in showing Elena to hers" he says the last part with venom in his voice and Bonnie understands that even if he is getting married to Rebekah in a couple of weeks, is he not completely over the fact that his ex-girlfriend had a crush on his brother.

Bonnie goes back to the kitchen, where they left their bags and finds Damon and Elena joking around and laughing as they cut vegetables. She smiles and picks up her bag without disturbing them.

"So what's the story about them? When Stefan saw them he turned all white and looked away and when you see them you get this sneaky smile and they seem to see nothing but each other" Bonnie jumps, she had totally forgotten that Kol is walking close behind her.

"Nothing" she says, hoping she sounds trustworthy. It wasn't like her to tell the story of someone else's life. Especially not if the person is Elena.

"I don't believe you" is the first thing Kol says though and Bonnie can't help but sigh. "I think it is a really good story behind these two. Did she cheat on Stefan with him? The brother? Talk about a bad girl. I wouldn't mind…" Bonnie cuts him off before she can find out exactly where that sentence will end.

"No, she didn't cheat on Stefan. With anyone"

"We'll go right here" Kol almost sings as she walks past the corridor to her right. The amusement in his eyes is clear. "So she didn't cheat on him, physically, doesn't mean that she didn't have feelings for his older brother" he keeps guessing. Bonnie rolls his eyes but she doesn't argue with him. She's not a liar either.

"Right or left?" She asks instead. The little corridor contains four doors, that she figures will be four bedrooms for her and her friends.

"First to the left" Kol says and opens the door for her. He gives her a researching look that she tries to ignore.

In the small of her eye can she see that his face bursts out in a full smile, so big she's afraid that it might burst.

"So she WAS in love with him" he states and Bonnie can't help but smile at the childish pride he takes on figuring it out.

"And what, if I may ask, are you going to do with that information? Because if you plan on using it against Elena will I personally make sure that you can't walk again" she threatens him with a slight smile on her face.

For a moment he really does look taken aback but then he smiles again and Bonnie can see something in his eyes that she doesn't like.

"There's fire in you, isn't it Bennett?" he says and Bonnie focus turns around a little bit.

"How do you know my last name?" she asks suspiciously and Kol wiggles his eyebrows at her before he answers.

"Stefan told me" he shrugs but Bonnie anticipates that he hasn't told the whole story.

"Why would he do that?" she keeps pushing.

"Because I asked him too"

The silence that follows is so pressing that Bonnie starts to regret asking. The way he is looking at her, like she is an expensive type of diamond, does not help her either. She forces herself to breathe and look into his eyes until he looks away. Except he doesn't look away.

She rolls her eyes as she turns to her room instead, taking it in for the first time. It's a pretty dark room, with just one window to the right. The bed stands to the left and the wall in the front are covered with doors, that she guesses is her wardrobe. The walls have a greyish color and the sheets on the bed and the curtains are dark green. On the short wall that the doors on she has a drawer.

She immediately likes it and can't help but wonder if Stefan did it especially for her and the other rooms are made special for the ones sleeping in them too or if they all just happen looked like this.

"They are all different. I got a feeling he wanted to make you all feel at home and my sister never says no to decorate a new room. Now she got to do seven at the same time. Must have been heaven for her " Kol says as if he can read her thoughts. Or maybe he just wants to break the silence.

"Seven?" Bonnie asks.

"Yeah, my brothers and I got a special room each as well. Has to say that I'm very proud of mine. Wanna see it?"

Bonnie don't know if that's a general question because he wants to be nice or if the guy is trying something. It has been some time since she was open for the game.

"No, thank you" she, therefore, says, giving him a shy look. Because it feels like he is flirting with her. But he can't be. Right?

"Another time" Kol states and shrugs his shoulders. "I have to go now so I'm leaving you to unpack. But I'm gonna see you again, Bonnie Bennett" With that he goes, leaving her looking at the door he closed behind him, with a confused look.

* * *

 **Yes! I know that Bonnie isn't herself in this one. As I said on the top, I'm writing her a little insecure in this story. She has just been cheated on and doesn't feel like herself. But she will come back. I promise!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. The Reunion

**Here is part four from Damon's point of view.**

 **Some of the chapters will from now on have flashbacks. Just to tie the story together.**

 **Hope you like it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 - The Reunion**

Damon is nervous when he shows Elena to the kitchen. No one makes him nervous. Except for his dad and this girl. The girl that dated his brother back in the day. He always had when he shows Elena to the kitchen. He isn't used to be nervous. No one makes him nervous. Ea hard time accepting that Stefan got the girl. But then again, Damon started to like her when she already was together with him so it's not like she could have chosen differently.

When Stefan found out Damon was in love with his girl was he pissed at him for months. Not before Damon said that he was moving to Italy for real did Stefan forgive him. What Stefan didn't know were that Damon had kissed Elena the night before, and that she had turned him down and that Damon now was running from all the consequences. Not only Elena, his brother's girl that he had kissed, but even Katherine that played him and Caroline that he knew that he had treated unfairly.

He wasn't up to stand and take the following events. The Salvatore's was known for running away after all. Even though Damon had worked his butt off to actually stay, and he did it more often than Stefan.

Elena turns to him and looks at him with her big brown eyes and Damon feels his inside twist in forbidden feelings. But he ignores it as good as he can and smirks his casual smirk at her. The shy smile she gives back is enough to tell him that he still isn't over her. Not that he thought that he was but it would have been nice with a surprise. At least of that sort. In his experience do love means pain, betrayal, and fragmentation so he doesn't want to have those feelings for this girl. But he did.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Elena asks. Damon has so many good answers on that question but he pushes them to the back of his head.

"I haven't finished the menu yet" he starts, unsure of what to do. The only one that sometimes helped him in the kitchen was Priscilla and she is pretty good with keeping herself to her corner so Damon isn't used to sharing the kitchen with anyone. Absolutely not Elena, the girl that had been in his thoughts for the last three years.

"Then we start with that" Elena says and makes herself ready to sit down at the little table in the kitchen.

"What? No!" Damon bursts out before he can stop himself. The menu is his job and not even Elena will have the privilege to work together with him there. He needs his space and his menus, or 'plans' as he likes to call them, are all him. If Stefan wants to put the others in this mix he can deal with that but they won't touch his menu.

"Aww, was that a sensitive question?" Elena banter with him and Damon chuckle against his better knowledge.

"We can cook the dinner for tonight, I don't think anyone else will and I get a chance to check how good you are at cooking" he says and Elena laughs at his words. He loves it, her laugh is carefree and beautiful and he wants to spend the rest of his life making her laugh like that all as often as e can.

"I am pretty good at putting fast food in bowls" Damon thinks that the blush on her cheeks is adorable and he smiles, knowing that he shows all his dimples. She gives him a shy little glance in return.

"Well, then I teach you. I can't have someone how can't cook in my kitchen" he says and throws a kitchen towel over his shoulder and pulls his sleeves up. Elena mimics him and he smirks confidently towards her. She wrinkles her nose in an answer and then laughs again. "We start with something simple, homemade noisettes with pasta will do for now" he continues and walks over to the fridge to get some mince. "Can you get the bowls, the third door to your left" he teases her and she wrinkles her nose adorably again before she does as he asks her.

On his way back to the countertop he bumps his shoulder against hers, he hides his smirk by starting to fix with the meat but she doesn't get fooled.

"Don't, do that" Damon can't help but notice the little pause in her words, she is hesitating.

"Do what?" he asks innocently, giving her a sly smirk. She rolls her eyes before she turns to him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You know what, that move what, that move was deliberate" she states, eyes stuck on his.

"Yes! I was deliberately trying to take me to the, sink" he halfhearted trying to explain, knowing she won't believe him.

Elena's eyes get stuck on the doorway and Damon immediately turns his head that way. He remembers that look, it is just a little surprising that it hasn't changed since he saw it last. Elena looks at Stefan with the same guilty expression as she did three years back when they still were dating and he walked in on Elena and Damon talking.

They did that a lot, even back then. In the beginning, hadn't Stefan said much, but then had Katherine revealed that Damon had feelings for her and Stefan had started feeling insecure about Elena and Damon talking, or laughing. Or even saying hi.

Not that Damon blames him, he did steal many girls from Stefan back then, but only the ones he knew wouldn't be it for his brother. It wasn't his meaning to fall in love with the only one that he actually thought could be his brother eternal love. No, Damon doesn't blame Stefan for forbidding Damon to talk to Elena. But he does blame Stefan for not trusting Elena, that clearly was that in love with him that she never would choose Damon instead.

Even when Damon kissed her that night all those years ago did she pull back with the same guilty look on her face and Damon just knew that she was thinking of Stefan. When she then uttered the words:

"It's Stefan, it's always gonna be Stefan" Damon knew that he had to get out of there.

Stefan looks at them with the exact same look that he had back then. Disappointment. Damon feels his insides twist a little bit, he doesn't want to hurt his little brother by taking his girl. The next second he shakes his head, she's not Stefan's girl anymore, she's free and he can take her if he wants to. If she wants to have him there is but that's another part of the question.

So he gives his brother an ironic little wave and a smirk. Elena smiles at Stefan in the corner of his eyes and Stefan nobs at them before he leaves, probably to find his fiance. Kol gives them a suspicious look before he follows him. When Damon turns back to Elena is she still staring after Stefan, which brings him back to another time.

 _3 ½ years ago_

 _Damon walks into the Maison. The first thing he sees is his kid brother, with one of the twins from their school, that he keeps hanging out with. Except for this time, they're making out, on the couch and Stefan doesn't have any shirt on._

" _Wow, don't hurt my poor innocent eyes" Damon mocks as he walks up to the mini bar in the hall and pours himself a glass. The twin girl shirks and jumps back from his brother as Stefan quickly turns to glare at him. Damon holds up his hands in the air, smirking at him._

" _You're early" Stefan states dryly as if it would change the fact that they were making out._

" _I didn't have anything more to do" he responds and takes a sip from his glass. He works at a garage, fixing cars with smaller problems and are pretty much free to go when he is done for the day. He really likes the job actually, because he loves cars and he always fixing with his own in his free time anyway. Stefan stays quiet after that, but the girl next to him talks after a little while of pressing silence. She clearly isn't used to it, as himself and Stefan._

" _I'm Elena" she says and Damon turns to him, a cute little smile on his lips._

" _I know" he answers. Then he frowns and looks at Stefan. Wasn't he fucking the other twin? "Changing twin now are we Stefan? I'm almost proud" he says ironically and starts going against the kitchen. He is going to cook himself a good dinner before he heads out again for the night. He is ignoring the irritated eyes that the twin, Elena, is giving him. But in the last second he changes his mind and turns to her with something he knows is a sexy grin._

" _It was a pleasure meeting you again Elena, even though it was under this circumstances" she rolls her eyes and fixes her shirt before she smiles back at him._

" _The same Damon" she says and looks him in the eyes before she turns to Stefan, giving him a smile that is so much sweeter than the one that he just got. His brother smiles coyly back and Damon is suddenly struck by how much in love they seem to be. He lifts his eyebrows at it before he walks to the kitchen. But he can't help to think that she looks hotter now than he remembered her, more curves._

"He still doesn't trust me, does he?" Damon asks and Elena jerks, her eyes snapping back to his. She sighs again and starts cutting the onion that he put on the countertop. He moves to the range and puts some oil in a frying pan.

"Trust gains trust, you have to give it to get it" she says after a while, making a sweeping motion with the knife. He immediately takes it away from her and takes over the cutting.

"Are you lecturing me?" he teases with a smile. Elena puts one hand on her hip and the other takes the knife back.

"Do you need to be lectured?" she sends right back, taking back the onions. Damon stands behind her, gripping her hands, showing her how to do it properly. She laughs and bumps him with her hip, but she lets him show her without protest.

They keep going like that, teasing each other and laughing. He correcting a few things she does wrong or simply doesn't know and his heart is swelling. It just feels meant to be. And unlike all others that get that feeling, he doesn't like it. Because when things are meant to be for him he usually messes it up.

* * *

 **So, that was it!**

 **I think I will post on Tuesdays and Fridays, can't promise anything but that's the plan for now.**

 **Only happy for reviews, like to improve.**

 **A thank you to the person how has reviewed and told me what she thoughts. Also a big thank you for** **continuing to read and understanding my idea:)!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	5. The Dress

**And chapter five is here! This isn't one of my best works, but I like the easy feeling in it.**

 **From Rebekah's point of view. Much Stebekah fluff in this one. I like this couple and I feel like I will give them an easy time in this story. The other couples will have it a little tougher so it feels like they will be a good contrast.**

 **Hope you will enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 - The Dress**

Rebekah wakes up the next day with the sun in her eyes. She moans loudly and buries her head deeper into Stefan's back. She hears her fiance chuckle before he turns around so that they are face to face, and she no longer spooning him.

They often slept like this, Rebekah desperate for closeness even in her sleep while Stefan normally turns away because doesn't want her weight on him when he is asleep. In the beginning, had it upset Rebekah but now she knows that it's just how his body works. He simply isn't a cuddler.

"Morning, beautiful" he mumbles into her hair as he pulls his fingers through it.

"Good morning perfect" she smiles into his neck, breathing in his masculine scent. He always smells like expensive aftershave, hair gel, and sweat. since he trained much, being part of a football team and easily got warm. She liked it though, his smell is unique and she likes to recognize it, especially in the mornings, like right now.

"God, I can't wait to wake up to you every morning" he says, voice still raspy with sleep.

"You know that we don't have to sleep in separate beds the last week before the wedding, right? You're the one that keeps insisting on it" she half teases. She can't say that she liked the idea of sleeping away from him next week. She loves waking up next to him even more than she likes falling asleep with him.

"Where are your romantic side, Rebekah?" he teases her and pulls her hair lightly. "To spend some nights apart before the wedding will make the whole night so much more magical"

Rebekah can't help but laugh at that.

"You're just a hopeless romantic, aren't you?" she asks tenderly.

"Just with you" he answers sappy and rolls over her so that he is looking down at her with loving eyes. She feels herself melt under him and moves up to kiss his soft, waiting lips. He moans a little into her mouth and pushes his tongue forward until it meets hers. She puts her hands in his hair, that she is forbidden to touch at all other equations than them making out, alone, and pulls a little at it causing him to groan and bite down on her lower lip.

"Mm, I don't wanna go" she moans when they finally stop, massaging his skull with her nails as his hands are stroking her sides.

"Then don't" he says and kisses her neck and chest, down against her makes breast and she sighs happily.

"The others are waiting for me, Stefan. We're gonna buy my dress" she says weakly, trying to push him off.

"You have to?" he asks bringing his face back to hers and giving her a lingering kiss.

"Yes" Rebekah answers breathlessly and presses her hands against his shoulders, not sure if she's trying to make him go away or come closer. He smiles fondly at her before he gives her a soundly kiss on her mouth.

"Then" kiss "I" kiss "will" kiss "have" kiss "to" kiss "let" kiss "you" kiss "go". He teases her with a little longer kiss before he stands and takes on his boxers. Rebekah laughs breathlessly as she puts on her bra.

"Here" he says and throws her a pair of new panties that he stole from the drawer she has in his room. She catches them and puts them on. Stefan pulls on a couple of dark, tight jeans and a grey t-shirt with a green bomber jacket over. Rebekah stands up and picks her choice between the few things she has in here. She settles for a white tank top with a marked waist, a heart necklace in gold, skinny black jeans, a black leather jacket, and black pumps.

"Bye" she sings and gives him one last loving kiss before she walks out the door without looking back.

"Hey" Caroline happily says when they meet in the big hall half an hour later. In the meantime has Rebekah put on some light makeup and put up her hair in a ponytail. Even though Rebekah can't help but think that Caroline's chipper voice sounds a little forced and that her smile is a little too big to be real. Katherine who stands beside her shakes her head and gives Rebekah a bored look. She lets her eyes rank over the brunette and the blond, her fiance's best friends.

Both are dressed in tight jeans, Caroline's dark blue and Katherine's pitch black, and curly hair that falls loosely over their shoulders. But other than that are they completely different, Caroline with her light skin, light makeup, blond hair and blue eyes are a complete contrast to Katherine's dark brown hair, elegantly made-up face, olive skin and deer eyes.

Caroline is wearing brown, knee-high boots with a little heel and a maroon lace tank top with a light jean jacket and a small necklace. Katherine's outfit is more daring, in a blue tank top with a low neckline, a long silver chain, black high heels, and a black leather jacket.

"Are you ready to go, Rebekah?" Bonnie asks. She stands in grey, pretty loose jeans and a dark green knitted tunic beside Elena that are dressed in blue V-jeans and a dark pink Hayley.

"Yes, let's go" she says and goes to Stefan's car, that she gets to borrow over the day. Elena takes the front seat beside her and Rebekah feels a little uncomfortable. She heard from both Damon and Klaus, and even Stefan himself at some points, that Elena was the love of his life and that Stefan was in love with her for years.

Rebekah knows that she stupid, Stefan is a loyal guy that asked her to marry him, and he meant it. But she noticed the eyes that Stefan gives Elena, so different from the ones that he gives Caroline and Katherine, that are his best friends. So she rather has any of the girls in the back beside her. But she keeps quiet.

Caroline and Katherine discuss bridesmaids dresses behind her and Rebekah cuts in here and there. Elena does too, which Rebekah finds annoying after all so are Caroline the planner and Katherine's gonna sew the dresses but Elena is just kitchen services, and one of the bridesmaids. She has no rights to determine in her wedding.

Bonnie was the only one how kept quiet until Caroline started to talk about the maid of honor dress and Bonnie kindly answered all the questions. To Rebekah's big surprise is Elena the only one who seems to react to the strange behavior. But if you listened to Bonnie yesterday, are the girls best friends, so maybe it wasn't that shocking, really. Maybe Rebekah let her jealousy of Elena cloud her judgment. Rebekah shakes her head. She doesn't like Elena, she has her rights to don't like Elena and, as she said to Stefan yesterday evening, she's not gonna start to like Elena anytime soon.

They stop before a shop for wedding dresses and Rebekah proudly hears Caroline whispers a "wow" behind her. She already knows that her family is wealthy and that Stefan's almost is as wealthy so that this wedding has pretty high standards. But it is fun to get it confirmed from someone how usually works with them. Even Katherine, that ad told her and Stefan yesterday that she is a famous model and are used to big, fancy shops seems impressed, which makes Rebekah puts her chin just a little bit higher.

She tries on the third dress almost an hour later and sighs sadly, everyone is beautiful, it's not that but nobody seems to have the little extra. She is not pleased with any one of them. She wants everyone to say 'wow' when she comes down the aisle, not least Stefan.

"I don't like this" she vines and grips the loose material over her waist.

"What's wrong with it?" Elena asks where she sits reclined in one of the sofas in front of the changing rooms. Rebekah glares at her and wishes that Caroline and Katherine still where there. They had walked with the storekeeper to look at bridesmaids dresses a couple of minutes ago.

"Try another one. I'm sure we will find the perfect dress for you. We got all day, all right?" Bonnie kindly says and nobs insuring at Rebekah. Rebekah can't help but give the dark haired girl a little smile before she slips back behind the curtain. She pulls out another dress, an off-white with mermaid style and lace. It's strapless and feels nice against her skin She watches in the mirror and feels that this is the one. Right that moment she hears Caroline's chipper voice.

"Hey, Rebekah. We're back, Katherine found a couple of beautiful dresses that she is going to design after. We have a couple of pictures you can see when you come out".

Rebekah steps out of the room with a little smile, that she likes to think isn't nervous and looks at the others. Both Katherine and Bonnie stands up from their sitting positions and Caroline drops her jaw. But to Rebekah's big surprise is it Elena that speaks first.

"Wow" she says, exactly as Rebekah hopes that someone will.

"Yes wow" Bonnie says and looks at her with a big smile. Rebekah spins around and looks into the mirror again with a sure grin this time.

"So… what do we say, is this the one?" Caroline asks a big smile on her lips as well.

"I think so" Rebekah answers and turns to her, only to be met by both Caroline and Katherine's shining eyes.

"You think so, I know so" Katherine says in a way that makes Rebekah thinks that maybe she is mocking her. "Stefan is going to lose his mind" she continues with a wink and Rebeka laughs, suddenly sure that the brunette is teasing her.

"Then let's go, we have shoes to buy and we just have to eat while we are here" Caroline rushes, almost shoving Rebekah against the little room. Everyone can hear Bonnie's little sigh and everybody laughs at it. She told Rebekah before that she isn't that much into shopping. Rebekah almost pities the girl. Except she doesn't pity anyone.

"So, how did you and Stefan meet?" Elena asks her almost an hour later, when they're eating at a restaurant just a couple of streets away. Katherine snorts and Caroline smiles.

"Elena is our romantic, always up for the small details" Caroline explains.

"And she was always planning her own wedding with Stefan when they were together" Bonnie teases and gives the deer-eyed girl a little bump with her elbow. Elena laughs and bumps Bonnie back with a big smile.

"Too bad you got a crush on Damon" Katherine says bluntly and suddenly the atmosphere changes. Bonnie puts a supporting hand on Elena's shoulder as Elena looks down on the table with a guilty expression. Caroline glares at the handsome girl with a warning clear in her eyes.

"Wait, are you in love with Damon?" Rebekah can't help but ask. Not that she thinks that the girl does the right choice if she chooses Damon over Stefan but it would mean that Rebekah doesn't have to be worried about her relationship with Stefan.

"She's not in LOVE with him" Caroline immediately says.

"You can't say that Care" Elena hisses with an angry look on the other blond. "Not that I am in love with him but I mean…" Elena tries to save herself but Rebekah can see the blush on her cheeks, and she notes that the other girl does it as well. She has no idea why Caroline seems so betrayed by it but it's definitely there.

"Well, that's good, god knows that Damon needs a good girl by his side" Rebekah surprise herself with the statement but she realizes that it's true. She thinks Elena is a good girl that she probably could be a good friend with, now when she knows that the girl isn't in love with Stefan.

"All right, I think Rebekah was about to tell us a story" Bonnie says, with her eyes stuck on Rebekah's.

"Yes, come on I wanna hear this too. How did our favorite boy fall in love with a British girl" Katherine says in a mocking manner but Rebekah does not take it badly. She has figured out that it's the model's way of talking.

"Well it was Nik that met him first when he studied art dow her a year, I was angry on him so I burst into his apartment and Stefan was there too" Rebekah says with a smile on her lips.

 _1 and ½ years ago_

 _Rebekah throws up the door to her brother's apartment for a good measure._

" _Nik!" she screams at the top of her lungs "where are you?" She Hardy finishes the sentence before she finds him in one of the sofas in the living room._

" _What do you want, Rebekah? I'm busy" Nik sputters. But Rebekah's eyes aren't on her brother anymore, they're on the boy with stylish sandy blond hair that sits beside him. Who is staring at her with eyes that almost looks scared and Rebekah gets even more irritated._

" _You made sure Elijah left before the dinner we all were going to have tonight! Why would you that, you wanker?" she hisses warningly, and Nik's eyes are suddenly filled with anger and he stands up._

" _I'm not the reason Elijah left. He left for that girl, Tatia" he shouts and rushes out of the door, without caring about how he leaves his poor friend to her rage._

" _Hi, I'm Stefan" the guy says after a while and offers her his hand. Rebekah lets her eyes rank over her._

" _I'm sure you are" she says as she walks after her brother to his room with long steps, not looking back._

Rebekah shakes her head. She still feels bad about that time because it was no secret to her that Nik was in love with Elijah's finance and that he hated that his brother got her.

"So you didn't like him in the beginning?" Bonnie asks, almost laughing and Rebekah is pulled back to the present.

"No, he is the year younger than me and Nik's best friend. But then we started to talking and when I broke it off with my ex did we have an affair and then things developed from there"

* * *

 **So this is it! Really hope you like it.**

 **Reviews are more than welcome, tell me what you think.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	6. The Past

**So, new chapter!**

 **This one is told from Elijah's point of view. Plus that we get some backstory on the Mikaelson family, and then I mean the deep stuff.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - The Past**

Elijah sits on the porch trying to figure out the crises that had created itself in the three days that he and Niklaus had been away from home and the office of there company. He groans something under his breath and pulls out his phone to call Marcel, Niklaus right hand. Niklaus himself has his phone off and are probably with Stefan at some bar somewhere.

They're supposed to meet for a planning in three hours and Elijah knows that he has to talk to his stubborn brother before hands. Mostly because it will make Caroline angry if they were to talk about something else then the wedding at the meeting.

The blond girl is certainly a breath of fresh air. She is determined, full of life and hard working. Exactly what type of workers he likes in his company. Well their company, if Niklaus could show up sometime today.

"Marcel, Mikaelson's law firm" a man says at the other end.

"Marcel, can you please talk to Mr. Reese and say that I will be back before his lawsuit" Elijah says, not even caring about saying his name. "Oh, and while you're on it. Try to reach my brother, would you? I think he has turned his phone off and I need to speak to him. Can you do that?" Elijah riffles through the papers in front of him.

"Yes, I got it" his brother's employee says. Elijah doesn't bother with pleasant phrases but just cuts him off by ending the call before he runs his hand over his face and sighs.

The firm was not as good that it had been a couple of years ago. Elijah knew why. His dad died. Mikael had a way of getting what he wanted. Elijah knew for sure that his dad had engaged in blackmailing and dishonest games. When he had died had he left the company to Elijah, as the only son that he had that were over 21, it was proved since years back that Niklaus weren't his real child.

When Elijah found this out he immediately told his family. Or what was left of it, since his youngest brother, Henrik and his mother had died in a car crash three years ago and that his older brother, Finn, committed suicide by jumping off a boat just a year later.

Rebekah and Kol, how where just 17 at the time took it surprisingly well. Kol happy with having an explanation as to why Niklaus was beaten up the last three years and Rebekah said she didn't need any blood connections with him to know that they were siblings. Niklaus was, without a doubt, the one how took it hardest. He thought about it as if he suddenly didn't have a part in the family.

It become a little better when he met a dark-haired woman with light brown eyes and a sharp smile. Tatia had made Niklaus a little easier to be around and everyone could see that Elijah's dirty blonde brother was in love with the short woman. At this point Kol leaves to his travelers, eating money out of the family bank without ever making a penny.

The real problems didn't start before that winter though. When Elijah and Tatia, how now were one of the lawyers at the firm, was on a trip for the company. Tatia had played her charm on him, exactly as she'd played it on Niklaus and he'd fallen for it. He fell in love with her. She dumped Niklaus for him and made him believe that Niklaus would be okay with it. They got engaged that spring.

To compensate for the fact that he got the girl, Elijah had given Niklaus part of the company. Niklaus, even though he was furious and felt betrayed had taken the offer and hired Marcel. The same Marcel that Rebekah started dating just a few months later.

Without knowing what his best friend and sister did behind his back did Niklaus meet another girl. A blond therapist with the name Camille. In the beginning, Elijah had thought that it was good that Niklaus was in love again. But it soon turned out that it wasn't. Niklaus was kind to her, it wasn't that. But he never trusted her around anyone, especially not his own family.

Not that Elijah found that as a big loss. The therapist had taken it upon herself to save Niklaus family. His family. Apparently, every single one of them had trust issues and had no safe place inside them self. Kol showed that through running, Niklaus through controlling everyone around him, Elijah trough pretending to be perfect, her words, and Rebekah trough never let anyone close.

When Niklaus found out about Marcel and Rebekah he stayed together with Camille. But they didn't work out. but Camille was to in love with Niklaus to leave and Niklaus feeling too betrayed by his family to do anything else.

So came one night, when Niklaus talked to Rebekah and Marcel, asking for forgiveness for trying to keep them apart. Elijah still has no idea why he did it, or why he did it just then. But the same minute as Rebekah called him he went to Niklaus house and talked to him.

They talked for hours, Elijah telling Niklaus how sorry he was for stealing his girl and Niklaus apologized for abandoning his family for so long. They agreed on putting it behind them for good. If Niklaus got to go down to Italy and study art for half a year on the cost of the company. Elijah went along with it, if Niklaus picked up his part of the company when he came back. Niklaus left the country two days later.

Elijah can't say that he knows exactly what happened in Italy. He would like to know, he has a guess he think is pretty close, but he doesn't know. But he is pretty sure that Niklaus met Stefan at a bar. He is also pretty sure that both of them were wasted.

He knows for a fact that Stefan broken it off with Elena just a couple of months earlier and that he was in a pretty dark place. If you ad Niklaus how just had left the second girl that ever owned his heart, even though Elijah can't say for sure that it was love, at least not the same way that Niklaus once loved Tatia, behind and with the family drama, which consisted of Rebekah and Marcel moving in together, Elijah is almost positive that he was pretty lost in that moment too.

Elijah does know however that Niklaus and Stefan quickly become good friends despite the age difference. He met Stefan three months later when they were supposed to have a family reunion on Niklaus behalf. Kol had, as usual, left cancellation just a few hours before it was set. Niklaus had almost proudly presented Stefan as friend and Elijah had taken the younger man in hand, glad that his brother seemed to be on the right path again.

He had just been with Niklaus a short amount of time when Gia, his assistant, called telling him that he had to get home. She refused to tell him why but said that it was urgent and that she already had booked a flight home for him just an hour later. Then he had been completely frantic that he had to leave. Now he was forever thankful for it.

Plus if he hadn't left how knew if he would be here right now. He has heard Stefan say many times that it was the fire in Rebekah's voice when she first snapped him of that had him interested from the beginning. Even though it had put another rock in his and Niklaus relationship and Rebekah and Niklaus had a hard time after times, was it worth it for finding out the truth.

 _1 and ½ years ago_

" _Elijah you have to come home" the woman on the other end of the phone cries out, sounding almost panicked._

" _I can't Gia, can it wait until tomorrow? I did everything I had to do before I got here. Surely it can't be that urgent" he says, voice calm, trying to make Gia slow down her rambling a little bit._

" _No, sir. It can not wait. You have to come home and take care of this now. I've already booked your ticket. You're leaving in an hour. It's about your fiance" Gia ends the call before he can say anything else._

" _Shot" Elijah mumbles under his breath. Niklaus gives him a look, betrayal, sadness and anger the first emotions that hit Elijah hard. "Niklaus I will have to leave. I dislike it but Gia called and said that it's something with Tatia"_

" _Really, so you gonna leave your family for a woman? Weren't you the one how lectured me on that when I did the same thing. FOR THE SAME WOMAN!"_

" _Please, Niklaus do not scream at me" Elijah says, but he has a bad feeling for it. But the last time that he skipped seeing Tatia because of his family she said that she leave him if it happens again. 'we're family too' was her exact words._

" _Niklaus" he starts again when his brother doesn't say anything._

" _Just leave Elijah, I make sure to say hi to Rebekah for you, since she clearly is the only family that wants to show up" Elijah sighs at his brother's words but does as he says, knowing that nothing he says now can changes Niklaus mind anyway. He will have to apologize later again. Plus that he loves his fiance and he is not gonna give her a reason for leaving him._

 _He spends the flight home thinking about Tatia and what could have happened to her. She seemed fine in the morning, had acted normal and given him a quick kiss before she left for work. But Gia has never lied to him, he can't see why she suddenly would start either, he has to believe that something has happened on the few hours he had been away from her. He is worried about her. What can possibly go so wrong that she needed him to come home so quickly?_

 _When he steps into his bedroom he immediately knows what wrong. His fiance has all of the papers on his next case all spread out over his disk, photoing them with her phone._

" _What's going on?" he asks, his eyes cold, watching the papers in front of her. Every time they have had a case against the lawyer that stands for the opposite part they lost the last two years. Around the time when Tatia got to the firm._

" _Oh, hi baby" she says sweetly, but for the first time can Elijah see through it, she's not the least pleasant._

" _What are you doing?" he asks, even though he knows the answer. He asks because he wants her to deny it, to explain. But if he is honest with himself, which he always tries to be, he knows that she can't. She gets closer to him, a tight smile on her lips._

" _Well I wanted to surprise you with being naked in bed when you come home but then I came over some paper and I got curious" she says. He shakes his head and takes a step back from her wandering hands._

" _No, you're trying to betray me to that company" he states calmly, taking pride in his ability to stay calm. "Why would you do that? How much are they paying you?" he feels shame when he hears his voice shaking. It's her time to shake her head and then she laughs. A high pitched desperate laugh._

" _Oh, Elijah. You just can't understand, can you?" she sings, her smile gone, a desperate look covering her face. "Not everything is about money or nobleness. Some things are about love. But you don't understand that, do you? You claim to love me but you always leave me alone as fast as Niklaus in trouble. What kind of relationship is that?"_

" _So you're doing this because I choose my own brother over you." he states, feeling how his heart starts to crack. He tries to hold it together, he has to because the girl in front is a danger to his, and his brothers, company._

" _NO!" she screams, taking a step closing to him again. Elijah shoves her away. He doesn't have the power to be close to her right now. "I'm doing this because I choose my family over you" she looks desperate at that moment and for the first time since he met her, Elijah doesn't think that she looks beautiful._

" _What do you mean?" he asks, clueless to what she's talking back, she has told him that her only family is her brother how is in jail since several years back._

" _YOU! You were the one to put him in jail. So I thought that if I could make your brother fall in love with me I could destroy you from the inside" she explains. The desperate look is gone, replaced with a calm face that's not calming him down. "But then YOU were stupid enough to fall in love with your brother's girl. And I did get to take YOU down from the inside. Just six months more and your little company would have been CRUSHED!"_

" _But you don't have six more months" Elijah states calmly, grabbing her coat off the hanger. "Normally" he continues, offering her the jacket "I would charge you and make sure that you were in jail for the rest of your life. Not only because you nearly destroyed mine and my brother's company but for playing with his feeling" she angrily grabs the coat._

" _That hasn't seemed to bother you for the last two years" she hisses, close to his face as she throws her coat on. Her glare is so poisonous that even Elijah gets a little scared. Not that he let it show._

" _But… I would have done the same for my family. Maybe, not the way that you did but I would have done everything to help them. So I'm letting you go" he continues as if he hasn't heard her. She snorts but doesn't say anything as she walks away, leaving the bedroom open so he can see w she throws the front door shut with a bang._

 _He looks after her when she leaves, his eyes filling with tears._

It was the first and last time Elijah cried since his mother died. He shakes his head trying to get rid of the pictures of his ex-fiance's face. He hasn't thought that much of her the past months but sometimes she shows up in his brain and he can't seem to shake her out. He looks up from his papers when he hears someone approaching, thinking that it can be Niklaus if he's lucky. But it isn't Niklaus.

For a second is he actually sure that it's Tatia stepping out of the door. But this girl has brown deer eyes, instead of Tatia's light brown and an elegant face, though it's a little cold, instead of the serious that she used to go around with. Instead of going in woman suits, that Tatia almost always wore, is she dressed in a turquoise tank top with a daring neckline, skinny black jeans and a silver chain around her neck. She's beautiful, and not in the normal way that Tatia was but in a daring way that he finds surprisingly appealing.

"Miss Gilbert" he calmly says, even though his heart is racing and he can't tear his eyes away from her.

"Elijah" she answers, her voice on the border to cold and a little demanding.

"What brings you out here?" he asks her, not wanting to look stupid after just saying her name.

"I can't stand your sister's bitchiness nor your brother's cockiness so I decided to take some air. He lifts his eyebrows, she is weirdly refreshing.

"That wasn't nice" he comments, trying, and mostly failing, to hide his amusement to the answer.

"The truth isn't always nice, is it?" the answers catch Elijah of guard and he's suddenly sure that he has to get to know this woman some more. Maybe she's exactly what he needs.

"No" he answers. "It isn't"

* * *

 **So, hope you like it!**

 **Reviews are welcome, as always. Leave some wishes if you want something special to happen.**

 **Thank you, everyone, for reading!**


	7. The Brother

**Hi again! New chapter up.**

 **This one is from Elena's point of view and we get a flashback on my go on the triangle.**

 **I really hope that you will like it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - The Brother**

Elena looks around her in the garden. It's nice, green and trim. She has a dark blue dress with small, with flowers and her hair is straight and loose, as usual. She's waiting for Damon. They are going to one of his friends, the one Pricilla presented to them and do the recipe for the wedding. Priscilla is already there, and Elena and Damon are going to drive there in his car.

She doesn't expect the trip to be anything but mind-blowing, because if there was one thing Damon loved more the cooking it was his car. Stefan had warned her about putting her feet anywhere were they weren't supposed to be. He had thrown in a little lecturing about not sleeping with Damon too, and not in a subtle way.

"Hi there, girl. Ready to leave this place until tomorrow night?" Damon asks as he walks up beside her. Elena turns to him, smiling.

"Yes, I am" she says, looking him in the eyes. "But it's beautiful. Are your friends place as beautiful as this?" She doesn't think she imagens Damon's eyes stuck on her just a tad too long.

"Well, I would say so" he starts, looking out over the vineyard in front of them. "Even though this place is more beautiful now than I ever seen it. "But I think his place will get that little detail when we get there" he says, eyes stuck on her and that sexy little smirk stuck on his lips.

Elena's breath gets stuck in her throat, her comeback with it, and she stares after him with wide eyes when he turns to leave.

"Are you coming?" he asks and Elena quickly follows him to his car, carefully keeping her distance. She didn't like it but Stefan and Caroline were right. She was here for Stefan's, her ex and good friend, wedding and she couldn't go sleep with his brother. Regardless of how much she liked him or her forbidden feelings for him.

When he starts the car, with a roar because he can't have a normal quiet car like everybody else but has to have an old veteran, he hands her the phone.

"You can handle the music, right? I'm okay with everything without hard metal and girly pop songs" he says, as he slides out on the road.

"Hey! What's wrong with girl pop?" she asks jokingly but puts on a popular song that's on her playlist, and his too apparently.

"I think the word 'girly' answers that question" is his only comeback and Elena stares at him, playing mocked.

"You should know, Mr. 'I'm not girly', that there aren't such things as 'girly' and 'manly'. It's up for the taste of the person in question" she says, looking forward again. He smirks a little and glances quickly at her.

"And some of these things most women like and some of them most men like" he argues back with a big smile, showing off all of his dimples.

"Doesn't mean that they naturally fall under the category" she answers, her voice slightly pitched but with a big smile herself. Her words filled with laughter.

"No, but it does mean that if you look at the statics, these things are either more 'girly' or more 'manly'" he says, even his voice laced with a laugh now and that little teasing tone at the side.

She punches him in the arm for that. Just lightly, not wanting to hurt him, just trying to soothe the little bit inside her that shouts at her to kiss him, touch him. Just do anything so that she can feel him.

He plays hurt a few seconds before he laughs, his smile so big that the skin around his eyes adorably wrinkles. She wrinkles her nose in response, ignoring the longing look he gives her afterward.

He is Stefan's brother, he's Caroline's enemy and he clearly dislikes her twin sister. He is her ex's brother. Just that should be enough to make her stop looking at his sinewy hands and muscly arms that she can see because of the t-shirt. But it isn't. It wasn't years ago, it isn't now.

She doesn't know what it is, but she does know that she has been drawn to him since the first time and that she can't shake him from under her skin, where he always seems to be nagging. Even after more than two years apart, she can feel him there, close enough to her speeding heart to be real. Too far away from her shouting brain to be bothered.

She glances at him, and he gives her a teasing smirk immediately making her look back straight ahead. He is strong and funny, and he always had time for her. Not to name that he was a fighter. She knows that. Or at least she knew that when they were younger and close. Before she got attracted to him and before he kissed her out of the blue.

Maybe not that much out of the blue. Elena turns to look at him again, catching his breathtaking blue eyes one more time. It was clear that he wanted her. The longing looks, the small touches and always being close to her. Maybe the girl she was in the past didn't realize but she does. She notes everything about him and she knows that he is attracted to her. But she thinks, and hopes, that it's more than just that. He told her years ago that he was in love with her. Did all those feeling go away? She knows hers didn't.

They have something special and she thinks Damon can feel it too. If he weren't Stefan's brother they would have been together years ago. She knows that and maybe, just maybe, it isn't actually too late. He looks at her again, that special look in his eyes and Elena smiles as she changes the song to something different. He starts moving his head to the beat and it isn't long until they sing in false voices to the song, laughing together.

The car ride goes on like that for two hours. They mock each other, they laugh and they talked a little bit. The quiet moments when Elena has to stop and think that he is STEFAN's brother. Then he laughs and gets wrinkles around his eyes and Elena just wants to kiss him until she can't think straight.

Then there is the chemistry. Elena can promise that it's so thick that you can take on it and spending hours so close to him makes her legs feel like jello when she finally gets to step out in front of an old building. This place is clearly not renovated just a couple of years ago, like Salvatore's Maison are, as Stefan told them on their tour the day before. She gets to say hi to Priscilla, a long lady with gray, braided hair and a genuine smile.

"Oi, mate! Nice to see you again" a guy with black hair and stubble and light brown eyes.

"Enzo, mate" Damon answers and walks straight into the man's arms, hugging him hard. They both draw back to look at Elena after a couple of seconds.

"This is Elena, she will be helping us out" Damon says, throwing a hand in her direction.

"So this is Stefan's ex" Enzo says, letting his eyes rank over her. "He has a good taste of woman" Elena doesn't think she imagens Damon's shyness when he mumbles a

"Yes" while refusing to actually look at her.

"So will you be helping in the kitchen or are you, like me, untrusted to touch the food and are going to serve as a waitress?" Enzo asks her with sparkling eyes. Elena is not sure if he likes him or not.

"She is going to help in the beginning and then she gets to help you" Damon answers before her. Enzo looks at her with laughing eyes.

"So your not trusted either?" he asks and Elena can't help but laugh.

"Doesn't seem like it" she answers, wrinkling her nose to Damon. He laughs, too.

"How do you expect me to have you in the kitchen after what happened yesterday?" he asks her mockingly, poking her in the ribs. Elena blushes. She had gotten too distracted with Damon whipping a cream, his biceps flexing, and forgotten the cookies in the oven two minutes too long. It was a disaster. Mostly because Damon keeps acting smug about it as if he knows why she lost her ability to concentrate.

She answers his attack by half-heartedly pushing away his hand, giggling. Which she hasn't done in years and now does because he's touching her. It's insane really, he's still Stefan's BROTHER. Enzo gives them an amused look and she can swear Damon is blushing for a couple of seconds. Except that's impossible. Damon doesn't blush.

Hours later they're in the kitchen, trying foods. Enzo left for a date, with a big smile, a wink at Elena and a slap on the butt for Damon, saying something about trying to get home in time to say goodbye to them tomorrow. Damon laughed at that, Elena's not sure she founds it funny.

"Here, try this" Damon lifts a spoon with a little soup on it against her mouth. His other hand finds one of her arms, holding her still as Elena slowly, her brown eyes stuck in is blue ones, opens her mouth and closes it around it. She moans directly after, wonderful tastes playing with her taste buds. Damon puts away the spoon but keeps his hand on her arm.

She's not sure if the burning sensation that creeps up on her cheeks are from his steady hand or burning eyes. Or just his close proximity. But she does know that she can't breathe and that she has to get away from him, quick. Before she does something stupid. Like gripping his other hand, wanting to feel if it's as warm as the one on her arm. Or run her fingers through his unruly, pitch black hair, finding out if it's as soft as it looks. Or just kisses him, because she has wanted to for so long.

"It's good. Yes, it's good" she stammers as she pulls back, her face suddenly very close to his. She thinks that he looks disappointed afterward but she can't figure it out before his smirk is back on his face, crossing his strong arms over his chest.

"Of course it is, I did it" he says calmly before he starts with another sats in another pan. She looks at him as he walks around, putting things together for the second soup. Her minds start wandering, her racing heart bringing her to places she has avoided for so long. Places she really shouldn't go.

 _2 and ½ years ago_

" _Hi" Elena says as she walks out to the waiting room in the hospital. "He, he's okay. You should know that" Damon looks up at her, trying to act strong but Elena can clearly see that he has been crying. She hasn't, surprisingly. She got the call about Stefan being in a car accident two hours ago, reminding her so much about the call she got when her parents died so it actually took her twenty minutes to realize that she had to go to the hospital, Damon picking her up just a couple minutes after, without her even asking. But she hasn't cried yet. She hasn't actually felt anything since then. Just empty._

" _But he doesn't wanna talk to me?" Damon sounds really depressed, his eyes shining with a hurt that Elena just have caught a glimpse of before. She sits down beside him, grabbing his hand in hers, hard. Exactly like she did to his brother just minutes ago._

" _It's gonna be okay, he's gonna be okay" she says, out loud not sure if she says it to him or to herself as she sits down beside Damon. Damon turns his sad, desperate eyes with her and the blueness in them makes her heart hurt, even though she's pretty sure it's because of Stefan and not of him._

" _How are you feeling?" he asks after a long while. When they've been sitting in the waiting room holding each other's hands with a death grip, refusing to let go, over an hour. "I know your parents died in a car accident" he continues when she doesn't answer. These are the words making it boil over. Her body, that has stayed calm for hours, suddenly panics. Her choked brain finally getting all the information together, understanding that she was close to losing her boyfriend, the love of her life, to the same thing that took her parents away all these years ago._

 _There's an eternity and at the same time just a few seconds, when she sits there and understands. Her panic breaking through her mask and the tears that weren't even there seconds ago stream down her cheeks, her throat hurting and her chest aching because she almost just lost STEFAN. Damon takes her in his arms just seconds after that and time stops altogether. All she can feel is the security of him, alive, warm, breathing, against her, whispering soothing things in her ear. Her heart hurts, it's breaking. Because Stefan was almost gone. She almost lost him. She can't stand losing him. She can't._

 _She stands, ready to run to him, throw herself in his loving arms, tell him that she loves him. Because she does. and she always will and she just wants to see him, feel him. Know that he actually is alive._

" _Stop" Damon says and grabs her arm, she punches him, hard, in the chest. "You can't go see him, you know what the doctor said" he keeps going, ignoring her fist. She hits him again, and again, and again, harder and harder. She is pretty sure that she's screaming too. Because he is preventing her to get to Stefan. She NEEDS to get to Stefan! She keeps hitting him until she can't anymore, then sinking against his chest, crying again._

 _She pulls back, slowly, Damon's blue eyes burning into hers. She has never felt so guilty for having a crush on her boyfriend's brother as she does right now._

" _I'm sorry" she mumbles, blushing hard. He keeps looking at her._

" _I'm not" he says, and then his lips are on hers. They are burning, and magical. And wrong. She melts onto it for a second, tasting the forbidden fruit. To her surprise it's sweet. Not actually sweet, but good, nice. Warm. Alive. She pulls back. What is she doing? Stefan was dying a couple of hours ago and here she stands, kissing another guy. She takes a step back._

" _What's wrong?" he asks her. She wants to shout at him that HE is wrong and ask him what he is thinking. But all that comes out are_

" _I… It's just… It's Stefan. I love Stefan! It's always going to be Stefan!" she says it and then she walks away. For the first time, and since then the last, she walks out on a man. She doesn't even look back, she just leaves._

"ELENA! Have you heard anything I been saying to you?" Damon's voice is what brings her back.

"No" she stumbles, walking backward, stumbling in her own feet. He is just too close right now. She has to get out. "I'm sorry, I just… I can't do this" she stammers and then she turns on her heel and walks away. For the second time, she walks away from a man, for the second time she doesn't turn back. And it's driving her crazy that it's the same man. He is the only one how can makes her lose her balance. Yet, at the same time, it feels like she needs him. Actually needs him to keep breathing.

But she can't be in love with him. Not Stefan's brother. Not after all these years. Or?

* * *

 **So that's it. Hope you liked it.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	8. The Adventure

**Hi! Here we go again with a new chapter.**

 **This chapter is from Kol's perspective and I am really** **satisfied with it.**

 **To the person how asked me for a Stelena scene, I can say that more flashback containing them will come and that they maybe will have a scene in the present too. But since they aren't the main couple in the story I don't want to get your hopes up too high. What I write in this story will lead up to the moment when Elena end up with Damon.**

 **With that said, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - The Adventure**

Kol runs through the garden to get to the house faster. He stops abruptly in front of Caroline, Bonnie, and Katherine that sits on the porch.

"Hey girls! I just found out it's an amusement park in the city just a few miles from here!" he says with a big smile on his face. His eyes caught Bonnie's for a second before she looks away.

"And?" Katherine asks with a bored tone. Caroline seems both excited and irritated with him. Kol guesses it is because she has a plan for the planning for the wedding and he is ruining it.

"Kol, we have to send out all the inventions today!" she hisses. Kol throws his shoulders and gives her a mischievous look.

"You, Elijah and Nik can do that tomorrow morning instead. It's not like Bekah and Stefan are here helping right now, is it?" he asks and looks against the door. He has a pretty good idea about what they are doing.

"Gross, Kol" Bonnie says. She looks actually disgusted. Kol offers her a big smile. She looks really cute with that wrinkles between her eyebrows.

"It's not like we don't know what they are doing" he says. Now even Caroline looks grossed and Katherine smirks at him.

"What are you doing, Kol?" Nik says as he walks out through the door with Elijah just behind him.

"Kol, tell me you're not talking to these girls in an inappropriate way" Elijah says, his eyes just as calm and boring as usual as they sternly look him in the eye.

"No, 'Lijah. I am highly respectful. Unless they want me to be something else" he winks at Bonnie that glares at him with her beautiful, green-brown eyes. Katherine smirks and wiggles her eyebrows and Caroline sighs and puts her head in her hands.

"Come on, it's an amusement park, just a little bit away from here" he wines against the girls before he turns to his brothers. "You said it would be fun here and yet the most fun I have done is pull at Katherine's hair" he says, throwing with his hands in the air.

"Which isn't nice, I spend an hour with this" Katherine says from behind him, doing a gesture towards her face.

"And it's highly appreciated, darlin', now let us go to the park" he continues.

"Kol, I do believe you own miss Pierce an apology" Elijah says firmly with a stern look. Kol rolls his eyes and gets backing from Nik how does the same thing.

"I think I can manage to go on without one" Katherine cuts him off, with a cute, clearly fake, smile. Kol laughs at her again. She was certainly good at putting Elijah in his place. Kol liked this girl.

"We should tell Stefan and Bekah if we should go" Caroline says.

"Are you up to go to an amusement park when you're planning a wedding?" Bonnie says shocked and Katherine looks just as surprised.

"We do lay a day ahead" Caroline defends herself with a pitched voice. Katherine suddenly smiles.

"You just want the candy-floss, don't you?" she asks with a teasing tone. Caroline sticks her tongue out against her.

"It tastes good, okay?" she says, but she is laughing exactly as much as all the others are.

"Bit of a sweet tooth, love?" Kol's brother says, with a badly hidden smile on his face. Kol smirks at this, he loves to tease his brother's, and these girls seem like a chance almost too good to be true.

"Not too bad, just when I am stressed out" Caroline says and Kol can't figure out if she is totally honest or if she defends herself. But that is not his problem. His problem is that Nik looks down to the ground, still with a smile on his face. This is interesting, he is going to have so much fun about this.

But he will have to wait until after they have been at the amusement park because otherwise his brother's will refuse to go. Not that he cares if the tag along or not but he is pretty sure that Bonnie won't come with him if they all aren't there and for some reason he really wants her to come.

"Hey! What's going on?" Stefan asks as he comes outside, resting his elbow on Nik's shoulder.

"We are about to go to the amusement park. And you are coming with us" Kol says, a smirk on his face just as his sister saunter out the door.

"Really Kol, the amusement park? could you be any less childish already?" she snaps at him and crosses her arm. Kol is just about to shout back when Stefan jumps in.

"I think that is a good idea. We need some time off anyway"

Just a couple of minutes later are they in the cars, on their way to the amusement park. Kol did absolutely not do a childish victory gesture as they went. It did both Caroline and Bonnie laugh anyway, so it's fine. He, Nik, Caroline, and Bonnie are in one car, which Nik is driving much to his dislike. At least Nik made sure that Caroline was placed beside him in the front which means that he and Bonnie have the back.

Stefan is driving the other car with Bekah, spoiled as she is, beside him because she has always refused to sit anywhere but the front. Kol almost jumped when Elijah chuckled at Katherine's eye roll for the childish behavior. He hasn't heard that sound in years. Not that he has been around his family in years, but anyway.

"Okay, now that we are here we should settle on a few ground rules" Caroline says as they walk through the gates to the park. They hear people screaming all around and Kol rolls his eyes at the words, he doesn't have the time to talk right now.

He feels someone stab his side with an elbow and when he turns around is Bonnie there. Glaring at him with big, frustrated eyes and a look on her face that says 'are you for real'. Kol smirks at her but calms down anyway. It's not good to make the person you plan to be with for the day angry before you start.

"Okay, Care. But go on with it, we don't have the whole day" he, therefore, says, with his eyes stuck on Bonnie.

"Never go anywhere alone, always go two and two. We don't want to go looking for anyone that is missing" Caroline gives all of them a glance over with a little longer look at him. Elijah steps in after that

"This is our meeting point. We met here in two hours and twenty-three minutes, that is exactly 3 o'clock" he says in his usual voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, I want to go to the love train" Bekah says and pulls at Stefan's arm. Stefan lets himself get dragged away with a coy smile and Nik laughs a little at it. Kol frown at Katherine's worried look at Caroline, how looks pale.

"Someone who wants to ride the roller coaster with me?" Kol asks aloud, expecting just Nik to say yes. Maybe Katherine too, she seems bold enough to do whatever she likes. The other seems just a bit too picky to follow him. Not because he doubts that they can ride with it. The girls look at each other and surprise him by saying yes.

"We always do these things when we are out like this. It's not always that Care likes them, but she goes with it for our sake" Bonnie laughs when she looks at him. She can obviously see the shock in his eyes. Caroline and Katherine laugh with her and the two dark haired girls grab the blond by hand.

They scream. Like a lot. Caroline is worst though. Thankfully for him is that Nik's problem since he's the one sitting beside her. Kol wonders if his brother ever will be able to use his hand ever again after this. She seems to be holding on to it so hard that it should hurt. Nik looks happy though. Katherine has her hand on Elijah's knee. Not that it looks like she needs to but because she wants to. Kol really likes her. She is like the womanly version of himself, and he loves himself. That doesn't mean that he appreciates seeing Katherine and Elijah have eye sex for minutes straight in front of him in the line.

But it was a good thing because it meant that he got to sit beside Bonnie. On the way up she gives him a mischievous look, a look he would do anything to see again. She seems so carefree right at that moment that Kol almost moves forward and grabs her hand. Almost, because he realizes how weird it would be, they don't know each other after all.

"Are you scared?" he asks instead, with a teasing word. She snorts and smiles at his as she glances through the corner of her eye.

"Scared? You can be scared, Mikaelson" he can't help but laugh at that.

Feed time is not what he is used to. He usually buys cheap junk food and eats it on standing foot. For the last years has he always been moving, not like to be on the same location for long. But now they sit down, all eight of them and talks.

"I was so scared, it's not okay to laugh!" Bonnie laughs as the girls talk about the ghost house. Bekah, Stefan, Katherine, and Caroline laughs loud together with him and even Nik and Elijah chuckles.

"It wasn't that scary" his sister says, a proud look on her face.

"You hold on to my arm so hard you nearly crushed it" Stefan says in a high voice and Kol chuckles as he drinks a little soda from his glass. He sees Bonnie look at him from the corner of his eye so he lifts the bottle in a toast and smirks at her. He is confused when her blushing cheeks cause a pull in his chest. He is happy when Katherine's proud voice is heard, bringing his mind to her instead.

"So are we going to do the roller coaster again? Because I will enjoy hearing Stefan scream like a little girl in it" she sticks her tongue out as Caroline and Bonnie giggles. He glances at his siblings but they look just as confused as he feels. Stefan, on the other hand, is blushing. That's not something that he has seen before. At least not when the other man isn't teased for his sister.

"What are you talking about?" his sister seems irritated. Clearly, she doesn't like that Katherine is talking badly about her fiance. Bonnie leans closer to her, her shoulder brushing his in the process. That causes an impulse in his entire body, he honestly doesn't know why he can't pull away from her contact.

"Stefan's has always screamed like a little girl in roller coasters. No one knows why but he doesn't like them" Bonne says with a calming voice. Bekah relaxes but Nik glances Kol's way and the smirk at each other, both knowing what they are thinking.

"Really, Rippah, you're scared of roller coasters?" Nik says with a voice laced with laughter.

"Then let's take the big one!" Kol says and starts to get up. Bonnie glares at him and puts her hand on his arm to keep him down. The pure shock that goes through his body is enough for him not to fight her.

"NO!" Stefan practically screams and then he looks down on his almost finished food sheepishly. "You can't do that to me" he continues with a coy smile. Bekah moves forward and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"It's okay, darling. You don't have to go" she says insuring. Kol makes a gagging noise and then glances at Bonnie. She is glaring at him. Just what he thought.

"Oh, yes! He HAS to go" Katherine demands and stands up, dragging both Stefan and Caroline by an arm each.

"We take the medium one. The one we rode before today. The others of you can test the big later. When Stefan and I aren't there" Caroline says, it's not a question, it's a statement.

Stefan demands that he has to sit beside Bekah and have Nik and Caroline in front of him. Katherine immediately jumps into the place behind him, saying that she has to hear this. Elijah sits down with a serious face next to her.

"It looks like your going on a meeting for work, Elijah. Can't you at least fake a smile for your little brother over there? Katherine pouts jokingly and makes a gesture against him. Kol gets so surprised when Elijah actually chuckles at the girl's words, instead of giving her a stern look, that he can't help but laugh. Bonnie laughs too and really, just that is reason enough to do it.

Stefan does indeed scream like a little girl on the roller coaster, but Kol can barely hear it. He is too busy listening to Bonnie's laughs to concentrate at anything else.

Later, after Caroline and Stefan walk away together and Bonnie ensure his stubborn, jealous sister that they are just friends and they have walked to the really big ride that Kol has whined about riding all day he got to sit beside Bonnie again.

For the first time the whole day he sees she is a little scared. He uses that as an excuse to hold her hand. He really doesn't know why.

* * *

 **Isn't he cute? Kol is so confused about his feelings for Bonnie right now. Plus that he already sees her at the strong girl that we all know she is. He just has to make her understand it, too.**

 **Reviews are more than welcome, both good and bad, I like to improve.**

 **Thank you all for reading!**


	9. The Confession

**Another chapter!**

 **Got another question about Freya and she is coming, I need to match her into the story I have written far more chapters than I have posted, so I had to puzzle her in a little suddenly in a chapter** **further ahead. But she is coming.**

 **This chapter is from Caroline's point of view and we have finally gotten to the reveal from Caroline to Stefan.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - The Confession**

Caroline practically skips beside Stefan as she eats her cotton candy.

"You know that you can walk, right?" Stefan asks her after a while.

"Don't be such a buzzkill, Stefan" Caroline laughs. She turns to him, even though she keeps walking with small jumps in her steps. She is enjoying her cotton candy, that Stefan bought for her because he remembers how much she liked it, how cute is he?!, trying not to feel something when Stefan's hand brushes her own.

"You still thinks I'm too serious?" Stefan smiles, showing his perfect teeth to her. Caroline desperately tries to not feel anything then, and yes, she is totally failing, so she laughs. She couldn't be happier nor sadder that he remembered the exact the words that she had told him on their first one on one friend date, as she had called them already before her feeling changed.

"Yes! Well not around Klaus and Rebekah but you know the rest of us are still here, wanting to be part of the fun Stefan" she complains loudly. When Stefan laughs is she both happy and sad, because she just made him laugh, even though he seems to do that a lot more than the Stefan one she met for eight months ago, but on the other side is she perfectly honest and one hundred percent serious and she doesn't like being laughed at.

She knows that she is a bubbly blond that says things that people finds funny sometimes but she doesn't like it. That's one of the reasons she fell for him in the beginning, he didn't laugh at her, he didn't laugh at anyone.

"The fun Stefan?" he gives her that look again, the side looking that he only does when he thinks she is a little crazy but is too kind to say anything.

"The one that doesn't ask stupid questions" she replays, now walking for real, without the jumping, licking the last sugar of the stick.

"You want the fun me?" Stefan asks almost teasing, Caroline's heart makes a leap, pulling her against him like he is a magnet. His hand grips hers and Caroline feel as if she can breathe in all the oxygen on earth and still be dizzy as he pulls her away, she drops the stick, not able to concentrate on anything but his warm hand.

It's not before he pulls her down into a wagon and lets go of her hand that she looks around her and realizes that she does NOT want to be here. She tries to get up but Stefan pulls her back down, laughing.

"It's the love train, Stefan" she squeals, unhappy with his choice of ride. His light green eyes look at her and they are shining in a way that makes Caroline's stupid throat goes dry.

She does NOT want to be here, not with him, or well she wants to be here, with just him but not when he is supposed to get married in a little more than a weeks time and she still is as desperately in love with him as she was two years ago and he doesn't know.

"Come on, Caroline, you have always loved the love train" Stefan says and put his arm around her shoulders. "Let the others ride their crazy deathtraps, we can have fun on our own" Caroline giggles nervously, to show that she isn't nervous, stopping herself abruptly when she realizes how stupid that is, which isn't before Stefan gives her a funny look.

"Shouldn't you be doing this with Rebekah?" she asks, trying her hardest to not sound like a jealous girlfriend, she is easily jealous, a backside with growing up with the perfect, beautiful Elena and daring, stunning Katherine.

"Already done that" he answers, not knowing how much he hurts her with these words, it's more the tender tone than the words that stab her heart. He lights up when he talks about her and it makes Carolines's heart sink in her chest.

She hasn't heard him talk like this since he was dating Elena, she hasn't been hurt like these since he still was in love with Elena. He doesn't notice how the little bit of hope that still is left in her leaves her with the tender words. It's clear that he loves this girl just as much as she loves him.

It's just not fair that she never is the one to have a guy using that tone of voice when they talked about her. Caroline wants that, to be cherished, not as a friend or a second choice but as a first choice, as a girlfriend, as someone's everything, and she wants it more than anything.

"Awesome" she says, not even trying to sound anything but sad and jealous, it's not like he will notice it anyway. She looks at him with a sad smile as the train starts going as his warm and steady arm lays around her shoulders.

Steady and secure, that was what he was for her, he was like home, the only constant thing in her life, him and Katherine, and she wanted, no she NEEDED him, to keep her life on track because if he wasn't there she would go back to be the self-conscious control-freak she was before.

Not that she isn't a control-freak still, or self-conscious, because let's face it, she still has a very bad self-image, but now she knows to use at least one of them to her benefit and she has self-respect, even though she still feels conscious about herself from time to time, she isn't the shallow girl she was at sixteen anymore.

They leave the love train a few minutes later, Caroline's heart still beating so loud that Stefan should be able to hear it, they come to a calm place with grass, that they, okay mostly her, had made their meeting space for when the others come back from the rollercoaster. Stefan's mobile plings and he lets go of her waist, that he has been holding on to since they started walking, Caroline immediately misses his warmth and comfort.

"It's Klaus, they gonna take another go apparently" Stefan sighs "so we will just have to wait here. Or I could go trying to win you a teddy bear" Stefan halfway jokes., he did win her a teddy bear a couple of years ago, Bestie is still sleeping in her bed.

"Okay" she mumbles, too much into her own thoughts to say something more. This time is she the one who misses Stefan's funny look at her, which is ironical because she is missing it because she thinks about how blind he has to be to not see her feeling for him. It's not like she ever tried to hide it.

"What is it with you, Caroline? You have been acting strange since I told you that I am getting married. It's okay if you don't like Rebekah but you could at least say it to my face like you used to and not act like a little girl avoiding me" Stefan suddenly says with an angry voice, Caroline stares at him with big eyes for a couple of seconds.

She didn't think he noticed, he has seemed so concentrated on Rebekah and Elena that he hasn't even looked at her some days when she's talking to him, which is rude.

But apparently he has noticed and now he thinks that she doesn't like Rebekah, which isn't a complete lie, she DOES NOT like the place Rebekah has in Stefan's life because she wants it, but still, Rebekah is such a sweet girl and Stefan is way off if he thinks that is the reason why she keeps her distance

"I like Rebekah, she is a nice girl. Just like Elena but totally different, I can see why you wanna marry her, she is good for you" Caroline mumble. Stefan smiles a little at her and moves forward to grab her hand.

"She is pretty much as you, you know, I think that is one of the reasons I married her. I need someone just as bossy as you to keep my 'dark side' in check" Caroline suddenly feels angry, if he needs 'someone like her' why didn't he ever even consider her as his girlfriend? Is she still the little girl he got to know five years ago to him? because she thinks she has developed pretty much since then.

"Seriously?! Do you need someone LIKE me? Why don't just take me? What is so awful about me that you never under all these years that we have known each other, under all these years that I have been in love with YOU, thought about me as anything but your friend? You seriously think I don't like Rebekah? You think that is the problem? Well, you are wrong, I like Rebekah, but I love you! And YOU are getting MARRIED in a weeks time and you will NOT marry me. My problem is that I am in love with you, that is my problem, Stefan! So I'm sorry if I can't be beaming for you right now, okay? SORRY!?"

She takes a deep breath and pulls back, staring at the ground, not wanting to see him in the eyes. She shouldn't have done that, she promised herself NOT to tell him when she went down here.

But he had pressed her and she couldn't just sit around anymore. She needed to do something, she needed to let him know how much planning his wedding is hurting her. How much HE is hurting her and how much he has been hurting her for the past two years. stefan takes a deep breath beside her and Caroline tenses, nervous for what he is about to say.

 _2 years ago_

" _Seriously?!" Caroline says as she walks into the Salvator Maison with long, powerful steps. Looking around in the badly lighted place, which is impressing because it is bright sunshine just outside the covered windows, and sees Stefan sitting in a chair, clearly drunk with one leg over the other. "Are you just gonna hide in her for the rest of eternity just because Elena dumped you?" she complains and goes to the window and pulls aside the curtains._

" _She didn't 'dumped' me" Stefan grumbles and takes another swing from a half-empty bottle, several others, empty, lying on the floor around him. Caroline glares at him._

" _So you guys 'break up' and suddenly you go all dark on us. I thought that was Damon's thing" Caroline almost shouts, she dares not do it for real, not when he has that murderous look on his face. Stefan right out growls at her, Caroline chooses to ignore his animalistic behavior and sighs as she starts picking up all the bottles around the room, trying to find a garbage bag to throw it in._

" _I'm grieving, Caroline, I have the right to do it" Stefan says, standing up and trying to push her away, which is rude, Caroline brushes him off with an irritated face and keeps cleaning the sitting room, which is highly needed, ignoring him as good as she can._

" _Yes, Stefan, you have the right to grieve! But you do not have the right to go all dark on the world as if your world did just collapse!"_

" _If I remember correctly did you avoid going to places where Tyler where for half a year after your break up" That one stings more than Caroline care to admit, she and Tyler had a rough break up and Stefan, of all people, was maybe the only one that actually had supported her through it._

 _Katherine was her best friend, but since she had never had a boyfriend herself she had a hard time to have sympathy for Caroline in that situation._

" _That's different" Caroline halfways shouts, dramatically turning on her heels so that her hair flies around her, pointing at Stefan's face. "Tyler DUMPED me, hard, and went directly to the next girl in his fan club. Elena and you had a break up when you sat down and TALKED before you, TOGETHER decided that you weren't working anymore! And I didn't spend weeks at my house after that, I planned the next event for Mystic Falls Beauty Comity. You know this!"_

 _Caroline gives him an eye that must be looking mad because he actually shuts up and sits back down, even though he is pouting petulantly, and lets her go on with her cleaning, actually without drinking anymore. She finally finds a_ _trash bag and starts filling it with bottles, some of them not even empty but she isn't leaving them behind for Stefan to find later._

" _Go clean yourself up and sleep for a little while. You will start at our new work tomorrow and you need to be in good shape" She says after a while when he has spent nearly half an hour to look at her, it starts a funny feeling in her chest that she isn't sure that she likes or not, turning to him with a little smile on her lips. Stefan and she had just gotten a job at the same event firm, she as a part-time planner and he as a publicity person. "I will pick you up at half past six, with breakfast, but I need you to look respectable" she continues, Stefan snores but does as she says anyway, she looks at his strong back as he leaves._

" _Goodnight" she says lowly when he is in the doorway, he stops for a second but doesn't say it back, the pang she feels in her chest isn't something she is prepared for. She puts her hand over heart looking after him. Her thoughts are racing but she can't quite catch up. But she knows his face passes her eyes a couple of times the few seconds the pain remains._

 _She stays for a couple of hours, cleaning the sitting room and the kitchen, how is even more of a disaster than she thought was possible, she hears him take a shower and how he moves around on the second floor for almost an hour before it gets quiet. She leaves quietly when she is done, leaving the key in the flower pot, going home to get ready to go up early to make breakfast for two before she gets back here to pick Stefan up tomorrow._

 _The next day when they sit in the bar, Stefan's idea, drinking orange juice, Caroline's idea, Stefan moves forward to grab her hand, with a tight smile on his lips._

" _I'm sorry, Caroline, for not being here, for 'going all dark', but mostly for saying that you did the same thing. You would never hide from anything, not when you have to do it, you should know that it's inspiring. I love you Caroline, and I want to thank you for pulling myself back to myself, again, by buying the next round orange juice" he squeezes her hand before he goes, leaving her with a racing heart and one single thought in her head._

' _No'._

Stefan breaths out again, without saying a word and Caroline's heart is beating so hard against her chest she is sure it will burst, if it doesn't do that simply because of the hurt, and she turns her head away ashamed.

You do NOT say to your best friend, that is supposed to get married in a couple of days, that you have been in love with him for years. You do NOT do that. They sit like that, Stefan switching between looking sternly right forward and glancing at her with a worried look and Caroline staring at the ground, where her hand is resting in the grass next to her.

Suddenly they hear a shout and they see Kol coming rushing against them, surprisingly with Bonnie dragged behind him, Stefan turns to her and Caroline closes her eyes, ready to take what he is about to throw at her.

"I'm… I am sorry Caroline. I don't… I just don't feel that way about you. I can't do this… I'm sorry" Caroline forces herself to not cry when the others are beside them, Kol teasing Stefan and Bonnie leaning on his arm, laughing, Caroline realizes that it would surprise her at any other time but right now she has other things to concentrate on, like not crying her eyes out in front of everyone.

She fails.

Katherine takes one look at her, and her tear soaked cheeks and red eyes and walks to her standing in front of her, shielding her from the eyes of the others.

Putting her hand on Caroline's shoulder, giving her a look that looks scaringly much like pity. Caroline shakes her head at the quiet question and Katherine lifts her own chin in a meaning way, giving her a little smile and pushes her hair out of her eyes as she dries of Caroline's cheeks.

Caroline smiles a little back and then lifts her own chin, pulling back her shoulders, Katherine gives her a quick nob and then moves, standing beside her instead.

Caroline looks around, grateful when she sees that no one is watching. Except for Klaus, who catches her eyes, giving her an uninterpretable gaze before he turns away, for some reason looking just as upset that she is feeling.

* * *

 **So... This is it for now. Reviews? Anyone? Seriously, I am happy with everything.**

 **Plus that I am just gonna say that Klaroline is coming as well, I know there haven't been any scene with them yet.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	10. The Confusion

**So new chapter! Yayy! Will be posting chapters every Tuesday now, because I'm starting to run out of written chapters and my writing has to make it too.**

 **Thank you LoveKlaroline for your lovely review of my last chapter, totally made my whole week. And I wouldn't be able to plan Stefan's wedding if I was Carline either but she is a stubborn lady. Plus that she is destined to meet Klaus so she has to be there, right?**

 **Well, here is my chapter, how ran away a little from me, not ending as I intended to. But in the end am I very proud over it and likes what it became.**

 **Hope you do as well!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - The Confusion**

Stefan lifts the glass he has in his hand to his mouth, swallowing down the contents in one swift move.

"So… you say that you had no idea that Caroline was in love with you?" Klaus says as he refills Stefan's glass as well as his own.

"No, it's not like she has told me before" Stefan sighs, staring at the glass, hearing Caroline's voice inside his head, always Caroline's voice, telling him not to drink it. It blends together with Elena's disappointed look and Rebekah's intense glare. These are the things that always keeps him from drinking. Klaus snorts and shakes his head, putting his hand on Stefan's shoulder.

"It's not like she should need to tell you, you can see it in the way she looks at you. Like you're some kind of god" Klaus' voice has a sharp end to it, one he only used to have when he talks about the people that have betrayed him. Stefan gives him a suspicious look before his friend leans back in the couch they are sitting in.

"She doesn't" is his only response. He would have noticed it if Caroline was that obvious, he's sure.

"Oh, trust me, Mate. She does" Klaus says, swinging his own glass back, throwing his other hand up on the back of the couch, looking Stefan in the eye.

"I didn't know" Stefan mumbles, putting his, still full, glass down on the table and hiding his tired head in his hands. He hadn't slept all night. He was away from Rebekah for the first night in months and he just couldn't stop thinking about Caroline.

Or Elena, because even if he doesn't like to admit it does she take up a lot of his head space since she came here. Klaus gives him a look that tells him that he thinks he is stupid. But there is something else in Klaus' eyes too, something jealous that Stefan can't quite place.

"It fascinating how you couldn't know when everyone else could see it after spending five minutes in the same room as the two of you" his voice definitely holds a sharp tone this time and he refuses to look Stefan in the eye, instead staring at a pillow between them. Suddenly it clicks for Stefan and he can't help to smile at his 'cold-hearted' friend and replays with a victorious voice.

"YOU are in love with Caroline!"

It's quiet for a little while, Klaus' face the picture of total terror for a fraction of a second before it's quickly replaced with a fake laugh. Stefan won't let himself get fooled, Klaus clearly feel something for his best friend, otherwise, he wouldn't be laughing, Klaus almost never laughed, not like this.

"You're mad, Salvatore. Not a change that I feel something for the blond" Klaus' words, a good minute too late to be trustworthy, doesn't fool him and he turns against his friend, a big smile on his face.

"You really like her, don't you?" he asks, his eyes stuck on Klaus'. The older of the two opens his mouth to protest but then stops himself and sighs, as in defeat. Stefan is left almost shocked, Klaus never let anyone see his feelings, apart from anger, only expectation his family that gets glances of it from time to time.

"I just don't get it, you have a girl like Caroline looking at you like you're a god and you choose to marry my sister". Again with the god reference, as if that is the way Klaus wants her to look at himself, the jealousy thick in his voice.

"I just don't like Caroline that way" Stefan says because he knows how easy it is to exasperate Klaus, and it's not something that he wants to do.

"I just don't get it" Klaus sighs, leaning back in the couch, throwing with his arms, seemingly confused and beaten down as if he has spent nights thinking about her.

"You don't get why you like her?" Stefan tries to understand his friend's dilemma without upsetting him further, which is easier said than done if you think about his bad temper. Plus that it's not like he has any experience, Klaus had never before shown any feeling, without perhaps attraction, for any woman they have ever met.

"She's special, beautiful, light, determent, genuine. She doesn't change for anyone" Klaus says, his eyes stuck somewhere in front of them.

"Yes, you are drunk, mate" Stefan laughs and takes his friend's glass to put it too on the tale.

"Yes, I am. I drank before you show up you know, I just wanted her to get out of my head" Klaus' eyes look so tired and desperate that Stefan can't help but grin. All these times when Klaus called him weak because he cared about what a women thought about him seemed long gone.

"I think you should tell her" Stefan says, voice filled with laughter. Klaus straightens immediately, staring at him for a second before he looks forward and mumbles something that sounds like:

"You wouldn't have anything against it?" He looks actually nervous and it is totally adorable what Caroline can make this cold-hearted man do without even knowing it.

"NO! I think you would go well together. If you are ready to lay down some work at communication. She has turned my life around more than once, and I am sure that she can do the same with you".

They are silent for minutes after that, just taking the moment in, Stefan feels at peace for the first time since Caroline told him that she is in love with him. Klaus visibly thinking about Caroline, maybe accepting his own feelings for the first time. They are so at peace with themselves and each other that no one of them moves. After a while Stefa stands up anyway, patting his mate on the tight.

"I'm gonna take a walk. See you tomorrow, Mate" Klaus stands up, clearly ready to go with him. "No" Stefan says softly. "Think about what you're gonna say to her"

Almost an hour later is Stefan sitting in one of the garden furniture, nursing a bottle of water. He has been alone since he left Klas and he is happy for it. He needs time to think. About Caroline, what will he say to her when he sees her again? He hasn't seen her all day today at least. Was he going to tell Rebekah, or was that just to stir around in the pot? Maybe it was better for her to not know. And then there was that other matter, that had ghosted his head constantly the last four years. Elena.

At the exact time that he lets her pass his thoughts, someone puts a couple of hands over his eye. He would like to say Rebekah but he knows all too well that she doesn't play those 'silly games', he knows how this is.

"Elena?" he asks with a chipper voice and the hands disappears. Elena stands in front of him with a pink tank top, a grey hoodie, black jobbing tights and her hair in a ponytail. She is surely out for a run. Both Elena and Katherine go jogging when they exercise, exactly like Rebekah while Caroline still trains gymnastics.

"Care to walk with me on my walk, Stefan?" Elena asks with a cute smile and wiggles a little where she stands, looking at him with big brown eyes. It's so much like what it used to be when they dated all these years ago that he has to do a double take before he answers.

"Yes, sure. Let's go" he stands up and they start walking side by side along the vineyards. They keep quiet for a while, both clearly having much burdens their thoughts.

"So Caroline finally told you how she feels, huh?" Elena asks with a light tone.

"Seriously!" Stefan borrows his best friends expression "did everybody knew but me?" he asks, giving Elena a look that is somewhere in between irritated and embarrassed.

"It's not like she was discreet" Elena laughs a little, despite the heavy feeling they both have. "And she may or may not have told us on a girl night a few years ago" she keeps going, now almost mockingly. Stefan sighs loudly before he glances at her.

"Do you think she will forgive me?" he mumbles, because that is his greatest fear, that he will lose her as a friend because of this.

"She's Caroline" Elena says easily, clearly not that worried "She never stays mad at anyone. The only one she is going to be angry at in a few days is herself, for telling you"

"I don't like that either, she is a strong woman, she shouldn't blame herself because I'm not able to see her that way" Stefan sighs, running his hand over his face.

"Don't say that" she says and hugs his shoulder with her hand "you can't help not being in love with her any more than she can help to be in love with you" her eyes are loving, warm.

"Why didn't we work?" Stefan can't help himself but ask then, staring straight into her eyes. It has been a constant question for him ever since they broke up, years ago. Elena turns to look at him with a quick laugh.

"We were so young, Stefan. Easy, good, pure" she says as if it supposed to be an answer.

"And we loved each other, more than anything" Stefan keeps going, remembering everything from their relationship.

"Yeah, we did" Elena says longingly, stopping to look out over the nightfall on the big yards. Stefan stops beside her, gluing his eyes to her profile, letting himself forget himself for just a moment.

"Maybe we just weren't meant to be. Life isn't simple, isn't pure. So maybe we were somewhat too good, unbalanced" Elena says tranquility after a while, turning to him with her big brown deer eyes and heart-shaped face.

"You still believe in meant to be, Elena?" he asks because what he has with Rebekah is many things, but it isn't meant to be. They just found each other in a messed up place and saved each other from it. They are each other's saviors, but they're not meant to be.

"I believe everyone has someone they are meant to be with, how they are meant to find, yes, and I also believe that we weren't it" Elena says after taking a deep breath, her eyes still on his, looking just as beautiful as he remembered them. "Not because I didn't love you, Stefan, but because we just weren't right for each other in the long run" she continues, her hand lightly touching his cheek, her eyes starting to get wet, just like his own.

"But you still choose him?" he asks, quietly, barely speaking, putting his hand on hers and buries his head in it.

"What?" she whispers, her eyes now glued to his lips for a second before darting up to his own, a half-guilty facial expression.

"Damon" he says, pulling her hand away from his face but still keeping it in his. Elena stares at the ground awhile before she answers, that is answer enough for Stefan.

"I chose you" she says, crying for real now "he asked me multiple times, and I picked YOU every single time" she says, tears running down her cheeks,Stefan lets his own fall when he hears her saying it like that, like it's something she regrets, something she can't think off. He doesn't hide his tears, never has to pretend with her, she already knows him from the inside out.

"But if I would ask you today, if I didn't have Rebekah and everything come down to just you and me or you and him, you would choose him"

The look Elena gives the ground says it all. Stefan turns around, ready to leave when he feels her hand in his again.

"I loved you, you found me at a moment when all I wanted to do was die and you were the reason I wanted to live again" she says, quickly and a little desperate but her dark eyes are firmly looking into his, telling him that she thinks what she says now are important. "You still are the only reason I didn't take my life, you ARE the reason I live today" she says, fresh tears gliding down her cheeks.

"But lately, he is the reason I feel alive. You have to get it, Stefan, I have WANTED to be alive ever since we were together but I never felt it, not ONCE since my parents died. Not until now, not until him. He just, he got under my skin and I can't shake him" Elena keeps going, despite his attempts to jump in, tell her that Damon isn't good, that he doesn't like it. "He makes me feel alive Stefan, and I am going to be with him" It's like a dagger is pulled through his heart, leaving him without the possibility to breath and making his heart stop beating. It hurts so much he physically takes a step back.

"No Elena, you can't do that, not to me, not to Caroline!" Stefan says looking her in the eyes. He knows the same time that he says it that he is wrong. It's her life, she has the right to do whatever she wants, be with however she likes. He normally takes pride in accepting other people for how they are, not caring about their falls. "I'm sorry" he mumbles, because Elena still hasn't answer and he just want her to understand that he doesn't mean it. "I… I didn't mean that, I just... "

"I know" she says, hugging his hand a little tighter. Stefan looks her in the eyes, knowing that they both think about the same thing

 _2 years ago_

 _Stefan nervously knocks the door to his girlfriend's house, he knows that it's crazy to be nervous about a thing like that. It's just that he just come back from Chicago, and a two months long unplanned trip and he hasn't talked to her since he accused her of still being in love with his brother, how left the country to never come back four months ago. The doors open and Elena stare at him with her big deer eyes._

 _Normally she would jump at him, laughing and crying when he comes back from his runaways and he would apologize, telling her it would never happen again. This time she just looks at him, looking almost scared and feels something pull inside of him. It's not the same thing this time, they both know it._

" _You're home" she finally says and walks out to him on the porch and closes the door behind her, effectively showing him that they will not have any funny business today._

" _Yes" he answers, not finding something else to say. They stand there awkwardly for a little while, which is new too because they have always been able to talk to each other._

" _I'm sorry, for screaming at you to get away from me" Elena mumbles, aiming at the words she screamed at her when he pulled her into his car and tried to take her with him to Chicago. He feels a stab in his chest at that. He was lost in that moment, so stuck in his own mind that he didn't have a clue what he was doing. Not that it was a valid cause._

" _It's okay" he says with a short laugh, not because it's funny but because he doesn't know what else to do. "I probably deserved it" she gives him a quick smile before it disappears again, being replaced with that great grief that so often shines from her eyes. He sighs and sits down on the stairs, Elena quietly moves to sit beside him, with a little gap in between them. "What has happened to you, Stefan? To us?" she asks, desperately, as if that is the question that she has burned to question under all this time when he has been away._

" _We changed, I think you have done it the most" Stefan answers, because it's the truth, they aren't how they had been anymore._

" _I wish I was the same girl you knew before, the one you found trying to take suicide on that bridge" Stefan winces, he still clearly remember the night he drove by to find her standing on the same bridge where her parents died, ready to jump. The pictures still dance through his nightmares sometimes. "I wish I could say that I still want to be with you in the same sure way I did back then, but I can't. I changed, I want different things now, I wanna try something new" Stefan looks to the ground, a fake smile gracing his lips._

" _I can't do this anymore Elena, I can't stay only because you want me to. It's not in my nature to stay when I get hurt and I don't want to upset you any more than I already did" he says quietly. He still loves her, he does, he loves her so much. But he knows that it's time to let go now, they have run out of their time. "I have to leave, I can't be here and look you and everyone else I have hurt in the eyes anymore" picture of Damon, Elena, Katherine and Caroline dances in front of his eyes. He speaks the truth, he hasn't known it before now but he does, he has to leave. He has to apologize to Damon, he has to find peace inside of himself again before he turns back here, looking at all of these people in the eye._

" _I know" Elena says, hugging his hand for a second with her eyes glowing with that eternal sadness that he can't seem to do anything against these days. He gives her one last smile and hugs her hand back before she goes inside, leaving him heartbroken on the porch._

The only thing he can think about is that her eyes aren't sad anymore, she actually looks alive. She gives him a little heart bursting smile, letting go of his hand.

"You should be with him" Stefan surprises himself with the words, but he knows that he means them. "I just want you to be happy, and clearly I don't like the fact that the reason that you are happy is my brother, but I accept it and I think you should tell him what you have told me now" Elena looks at him with shocked eyes.

"But… but Caroline?" she stammers, putting one of her hand over her heart. He knows what she is feeling, it is a different thing to let yourself admit that you are in love with someone than to tell them.

"You said it yourself, she is Caroline, she never stays mad at anyone. And deep down all she wants is for you to be happy" he feels himself smile at the beaming smile that graces her lips.

"Thank you Stefan" she whispers, tears in her eyes now, giving him a tight smile. She gives him a hug, a strong, lingering one. A quiet promise of what might have been if the universe had worked with them.

He holds on to her, not wanting to let go. They stand there when the sun finally disappears from the horizon and just hold each other, both knowing that when they let go they will never be the same. This is their last moment. Ever. And it's sad, and beautiful and powerful. It's epic, to use the word that they always used to describe their love when they were together.

"I love you, Stefan" she mumbles into his shirt before she lets go of him, taking a few steps back from him.

"And I love you, Elena" he answers, watching her leave with tears on his cheeks.

* * *

 **Not my intention that this would get this depressing but the text run away with me and suddenly there just as a chapter. Hope you liked it anyway.**

 **Reviews? Always apriciated!**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	11. The Friend

**New chapter! This one from Katherine's point of view and containing both Klaroline and Kalijah. Yayy!**

 **I had a hard time writing the second part of this chapter and I just feel like I didn't quite catch that special chemistry between Katherine and Elijah.**

 **I really hope you like it anyway, I did my best!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - The Friend**

Katherine looks at the clock and then roll her eyes. Caroline is usually here by eight o'clock, sharp. Now is it closer to nine and the girl still hasn't even left her room. Katherine gets that she didn't want to leave the room the day after it all happened, two days ago.

She also gets why Caroline still didn't show up yesterday but know it's three days ago and she just can't except this anymore. She needs to go talk to her girl, tell her to pull her act together. Katherine has never had her heart broken, so she doesn't gonna say anything about it. But she so knows that you never should let a man take control over your life, which is what Caroline is doing right now. And Katherine just isn't accepting that.

She grabs a bottle of Champagne, cheese snacks and chocolate bar on her way to Caroline's room. She is on a vacation, after all, and she will do the most of it. She will not be in front of the camera for the next two weeks and that means she can eat some junk food for once. Plus that it's Caroline's favorites. She knocks on her best friend's door but doesn't wait for an answer before she bursts in, lifting her hands with the supplies..

"Ready to cry it out once and for all, sweetie? I'm gonna need you to be sitting proudly at the dining table this afternoon" she says as she sits down on the bed, legs carefully crossed.

"Let me be" Caroline grumbles back, mascara under her eyes and her hair hanging in stripes down her face. The bags under her eyes doesn't make her look any better.

"No" Katherine says. When Caroline still doesn't sit up from the bed Katherine grabs the quilt and throws it on the floor, exactly as Caroline has done all these years when she has forced Katherine to wake up wickedly early in the mornings. She grabs a makeup remover from Caroline's handbag, standing beside her bed in a perfect manner, and gives it to her friend.

"I don't want to talk about it" Caroline says, pouting. Katherine rolls her eyes at that.

"Good, because I don't wanna listen" she says sharply, getting the blonds attention. Finally. Katherine can feel her eyes on her as she opens the champagne bottle and takes a gulp directly from the flask, letting the bubbly content sliding down her throat before offering it to Caroline. The other girl takes it uncertain and takes a sip before setting it down on the table beside the bed, starting to clean her face off.

Katherine smiles. She as already made some progress with this. She opens the chocolate next, taking a bite directly from it, knowing that Caroline hates that. She takes pride in the glare she receives. Yes, she can fix this.

Caroline moves forward to grab the chocolate bar and Katherine lets her, smiling proudly at her friend, still with a straight back and the head tilted a little to the left. Oh, the perks of being a model. She knows exactly how to look hot in all she does.

"Stop it" Caroline hisses, but giggling right after. Katherine grins, she doesn't giggle and the girls share a happy moment before Caroline breaks a row of the chocolate, looking sad again. "I know that he doesn't like me, I've known it for years. So why do I feel so bad?" she asks quietly. She has tears in her eyes again. Katherine throws her hair over her shoulder.

"Because you are a hopeless romantic, girl! And until now you just couldn't give up on your happy ending" she says in a sing, song voice, looking haughtily at her friend.

"But you're not" Caroline says bitchy, glaring at Katherine. Katherine lifts her perfectly made eyebrows at that.

"No, I'm not. Because I have never been in a relationship or even in love. You know this, bitch" she says, grabbing the bottle and putting it back in Caroline's hands. "You are so hurt that you are judgy and so depressed that you defend yourself without reason. You need another drink".

Caroline looks regretful as she lifts the bottle, taking an actual gulp this time.

"Sorry" she mumbles, breaking another row of the chocolate and pressing it in her mouth, all at once.

"No worries girl" Katherine waves away her friend's apology with ease. "We have other things to discuss. Like how hot Rebekah's brothers are and which one of them you want"

The blond gives her a look that talks volumes before she takes another gulp.

"I need to be drunk for this conversation" she mumbles.

"It's an important question, I need to know which one of them I should lock up in a room with you and which one of them I will jump" Caroline reaches for the cheese snacks with sparkling eyes, smacking away Katherine's hand when she tries to take it back.

"Uh-uh, mine. You are not allowed to have snacks" she banters, a wide smile on her lips. Katherine sticks her tongue out and they laugh together for a few seconds before Caroline turns serious again. "Plus I don't think Rebekah would like it and Stefan wants Rebekah to be happy so…" she pulls out the last syllable, glancing on Katherine from behind her hair. Katherine gives the blond girl a shake of her head and a strict look.

"Rebekah stole your man, you have the right to nail take one of her brothers! And you do NOT need to make Stefan happy for the rest of this week. I get if you want to finish your planning but you do not need to do anything he asks. Take a little distance, it will be good for all of you" Katherine disciplines sternly. Caroline blushes hard.

"I know" she says low. "I won't, I promise"

"Good" Katherine says letting a smile fall back on her lips, showing her perfect teeth.

"But they are hot though, right? I mean it's not just me" Caroline whispers as she looks around, leaning forward. It's like she is telling a big secret.

"Nope. They are definitely hot" Katherine answers, in a hoarse whisper. "And if they are half as good in bed as Stefan says Rebekah is they are definitely good enough to make you forget about Stefan" Katherine continues, her brown eyes serious as they look into Caroline's blue.

"I don't want to forget about him" Caroline mumbles back, eating cheese snacks, refusing to look Katherine in the eye.

"I do not care. You have to. You don't have a choice anymore, he dumped you" tears are streaming down Caroline's cheeks now. She looks miserable. "And you won't get laid looking like that" Katherine says, letting her eyes rank Caroline's body. The blond girl pulls the blanket tighter around herself.

"I know… I know, Katherine and it hurts, it hurts so damn much" Caroline says in between the sobs, obviously talking about the dumping part of the statement even if Katherine wants to concentrate at the 'you look like shit' part. The brunette moves forward, putting her arms around the sobbing girl and pulling her into her.

"It's not the end of the world, Caroline" she whispers as the sobs start to calm down. "I mean I wouldn't know but I know you survived Tyler, who was an ass so I'm pretty sure you survive our best friend". Caroline snorts in a half sob half laugh, spitting Katherine on the arm in the process.

"Gross, girl" Katherine says as she takes the napkin that Caroline offers her under never-ending apologies.

"Oh my god I am so sorry, that wasn't my intention" she howls and fusses around Katherine's arm. Katherine laughs a little at that.

"No, I thought you spit on me with intention" she says ironically. "But back to business, which one of them do you want?" Caroline blushes faintly again, looking down at the chocolate she still has in her hands. "Let me guess… Klaus?"

"Yes… it's just he" Caroline starts to falter. Katherine jumps in.

"A blondish bad boy, you have always had a thing for blondish bad boys" Caroline nobs, laughing.

"But I won't sleep with him" the blond girls says, sounding firm for the first time since Katherine walked in. Katherine smirks, she is making progress.

"All I want you to do is take him to the wedding as your date. You know, show Stefan that he doesn't have any power over you. Because right now are you letting him have control your whole life, and I can't let you do that. That is not the strong independent woman I call my best friend" Katherine moves Caroline's messy hair away from her face giving her a little smile.

"Thank you Kat" Caroline says hugging the stunning brunette before she moves back to put her hand on each side of her own face, sighing. "I need a shower" she adds.

"Yes you do, you go freshen yourself up. We are gonna look like goddesses tonight" Katherine demands, waving at Caroline as they both get up from the bed.

"Yes, mam" Caroline answers teasingly. Katherine watches as her friend pick some things from the closet and starts going to the shower. The door closes and Katherine leaves.

Katherine smiles proudly at Caroline as she leans forward over the table, laughing at something Bonnie just said. Katherine is sitting on the end, Caroline och her right, Bonnie on her left. Rebekah and Stefan sit beside Bonnie and then comes Kol, besides Klaus that sits on the other end. On the other side of him are Damon and Elena sitting with Elijah closest to Caroline. She glances at the slightly older businessman just to catch his eyes over the table. Katherine looks away immediately, knowing that it isn't healthy for her heart to stop beating, but she can feel his eyes lingering on her.

They sit quietly for a little while before Kol, with his eyes stuck on Bonnie, starts talking.

"So, do you have any embarrassing stories on Stefan that you need to know?" Katherine smiles cattily, meeting Elena's dodgy smile. Beside her are Caroline giggling and Bonnie grinning.

"No" Stefan sighs and the others laugh.

"Well, it was that time when he punched Matt in the face because he was in love with Elena" Katherine says, the other laughing.

"I was twelve!" Stefan defended himself, but he laughs too.

"He refused to dance at our school dances but were always angry on us when we left him to dance" Bonnie jumps in, the other girls nodding in agreement.

"The time he and Caroline were out for a run and got lost just a few blocks from home" Elena giggles, all the others bursting out laughing.

"They had changed the surroundings!" Caroline squeal, blushing hard.

"That's true guys. It wasn't even funny, I was terrified" Stefan says, smiling at Caroline over the table. Katherine puts her hand on Caroline's knee, lifting her own chin, making Caroline do the same.

"Do you always have a hard time finding your way around, love?" Klaus asks, his eyes stuck on Caroline's "because if I'm not mistaken you didn't find your room last week".

"I… I" Caroline stammers, blushing. Katherine smiles. Those two definitely has chemistry, she just needs to get her girl to do something about it.

"Yes" Katherine therefor says for her. Caroline gives her a terrified look and Katherine answers with a wink before she turns to the second oldest Mikaelson, a smirk on her lips.

"It's true, you're a lost cost Caroline" Bonnie teases and they laugh again. Katherine can't help but notice that Klaus' eyes still are stuck on Caroline. It's not like he is discrete, watching her like she is a queen. Maybe that is exactly what she is to him.

Katherine doesn't like Klaus but she thinks high about him anyway. He is the first one who actually looks at Caroline like the amazing woman that Katherine knows that she is. She appreciates him for it. She does not appreciate his brother looking at herself the exact same way.

Katherine turns to Elijah with a fake smile on her lips, giving him a look and tilting her head against him. He gives her a little smirk back and she irritatedly throws her hair over her shoulder before she turns back to Caroline and Bonnie. She can feel Elijah's eyes lingering with her a little longer than necessary, trying to ignore him gets harder when he starts talking beside her in that strict, low voice that makes her shudder.

"So, what is the plan for tonight, Caroline?" He asks, his eyes leaving her for a few seconds to look at her friend.

"I… I was thinking that we would get to know each other a little more" Caroline stammers, being pulled from her intense eye contact with the other Mikaelson. Elijah distracts her, he doesn't make her blind. A blush creeping up Caroline's cheeks, probably matching the one that Katherine is rocking.

"Can I come with a suggestion?" Elijah leans forward, his hands intertwined in front of him. He doesn't wait for permission before he starts talking again.

"We should really get to know the ones we are working with, and we should give Stefan and Rebekah a chance to talk, they are surely a little confused now, you always are" he starts, giving his sister an assuring look. "And Bonnie and Kol are supposed to work hand in hand but they have barely said hi, the same goes to you and Niklaus"

"Um… Yes, I am supposed to work next to you though, not Klaus" Caroline says unsurely, reaching after Katherine's hand under the table. Katherine takes it in reflex, her eyes stuck on the man that is talking.

"You are supposed to stand in the front with Bonnie, Damon, and Kol, we need two on both sides. That leaves me and Katherine to say welcome and we are the under workers during the dinner afterward, when you and Klaus are doing your talks, for instance" Elijah does a little movement with his hands as if to showing that he had proved a point.

"All right. Rebekah and Stefan hang out, Elena and Damon, Bonnie and Kol, myself and Klaus and you and Katherine. See you tomorrow" Caroline leaves, after taking contact with Klaus that quickly follows her out. Katherine smirks, she so has to hear all about this tomorrow. Damon and Elena disappear into the kitchen before she can even wink at her sister.

Kol and Bonnie leave too, after Kol says something dramatic and offers her his hand and she rolls her eyes and walks out before him. Rebekah and Stefan practically run out of the room. Katherine tries for a little while longer to forget Elijah's eyes resting on her but it is no longer possible when he talks.

"You are a good friend" he says lowly, she opens her mouth to protest but he lifts his hand to stop her. "And do not try to deny that Caroline is here because you talked to her this morning, I saw you leave her room" he continues, his eyes holding hers.

"Well, I couldn't have her missing the only vacation I have this year because Stefan said what we all already knew" Katherine says and throws her hair over her shoulder, uncrossing her legs.

"Of course not" Elijah murmurs, moving so that he is sitting next to her.

"What do you know about getting married anyway?" Katherine asks, letting her hair fall back to her face, trying to hide the blush that is spreading there.

"What?" Elijah answers, sitting all to close for comfort.

"You said something about doubt when you are about to get married. How do you know that?" she asks, looking him in the eye because she is curious. Stefan said that all her brothers were single.

"Ah" he nods in understanding before he turns to her. "I had doubts about my ex-fiance. I had the right to be anxious, just that I wasn't anxious about the right things" he says as if it is unimportant. Katherine can't help but stare a few seconds before she tears her eyes away from him to cross her legs again and smirk a little to him.

"So you are single?" she asks confidently, putting her hand on his knee, using her flirtations and womanly figure to her advantage as she turns to him, making sure that her breasts are popping.

"Yes" he answers, putting his hand on hers, looking her deep in the eyes, "And I would love to get to know you more" he murmurs suggestive and Katherine feels how she shudders. She looks up and his dark eyes are wanting and his full lips are close to hers. She moves forward to catch them but his other hand moves up and he takes her chin, effectively stopping her.

He moves a little closer and Katherine can feel his hot breath on her lips, making her feel like jello. Then he suddenly stops, making sure that she looks him in the eyes before he speaks again. Lifting her shaking hand off his leg.

"But…" he draws back, releasing her chin and stands up. "I won't do it in the bedroom. At least not until I know that you are as much into this as I am" he continues offering her his arm. "Would you like me to walk you to your room, Katarina?"

Katherine's brain is processing slowly, her entire body shaking from the almost kiss. She shouts at her self to stop, she has never been this affected by anyone before, no need to start now. But she can't seem to help it. That's why it takes her some time to react to what he said.

"What… what did you just call me?" she asks, her voice trembling to her disapproval.

"Katarina. That is your real name, isn't it? Katherine was something that you started to call yourself when you become a model and it has just stuck." Katherine nobs her head in shock, normally would she forbid him to call her that, never liking her real name.

But the way he says it, the way it dances of his tongue makes her weak in the knees. She simply grabs her arm to let him lead her back to her room. Normally she wouldn't do that either but she isn't sure that she can trust her legs and she doesn't want to make more of a fool of herself tonight.

* * *

 **So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Let me know!**

 **Hope you liked it, and that I made Elijah and Katherine at least a little justice. They are after all an amazing couple that deserves to write in that way.**

 **Than you for reading!**


	12. The Challange

**So here is the next chapter.**

 **We get to look into Klaus' thoughts in this one AND we will finally have Klaroline in action. The reason this chapter this chapter took so long is because I really wanted to do the justice. I feel like I made it.**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12 - The Challange**

Klaus stares at Caroline's back as he follows her out. He keeps his distance knowing all too well that woman like her, with that fire burning inside of her, needs their space. She turns around when they get to the porch, her eyes glowing and her entire body giving away an irresistible energy.

"What is it, love?" he asks her, lightly, trying his best to not upset her more. But since he doesn't know what has upset her in the first place it's not easy.

"I just… ugh" she sighs, pulling her hair and turning away from him again. Klaus can't help but chuckle, she is definitely something special.

"I don't know what that means, sweetheart. Care to develop?" he asks her kindly, trying to hide his amusement but knowing full well that his smile is showing. Caroline sighs again, clearly annoyed as she throws an arm in the direction of the dining room they just came from.

"He just wanted to be alone with her. I mean, I get it, she IS hot" Klaus chuckles again at this, "but it does not give him the right to try to play matchmaker to everyone else" Caroline huffs as she sits down on the bench, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, Elijah has his ways. Best not to question them if you don't want to start a second family feud" he answers teasingly. Caroline tries to hide her amusement but a few giggles slip by the hand she has put over her mouth and Klaus can't help but feel proud over them.

"Well, I do not like 'Mr. Matchmaker' any more than I like his brother" the blond girl answers boldly but Klaus doesn't take it in a bad way because her eyes are glowing in a teasing manner.

He finds himself drawn to them. Her eyes. They are a deep combination of green and blue and always screams out her feelings, glowing with whatever she is feeling. But always glowing, always sending out the same amount of light, no matter if she is angry, happy or sad. They seem impossible to quiet down, to blow out her fire. Not that Klaus would even dream of it. It is her fire that he is drawn to, after all.

"Ouch, I am hurt, love" he jokes, feeling happy when she laughs at it.

"You don't exactly have the best reputation" she says, tilting her head. He doesn't know if she is joking now but this comment cuts deeper than the other. He wants her to think that he is good, he isn't but he wants her to believe it. That's why it stings to feel that she already thinks about him as bad before they have had a single real talk.

"What has Stefan been saying now?" he asks, trying to sound teasing but almost growling, he is sure that his friend has been back talking him and that why he wasn't worried about Klaus talking to her.

"What?" she asks, looking so confused that Klaus believes her. That could, of course, be that adorable wrinkles between the eyebrows that are distracting him but he doesn't think so. He is pretty good at reading people after all. "Stefan is probably the only one who is speaking well of you, most of the time, but your reputation, in general, isn't that promising".

He takes a moment to appreciate the way she jumps out of her own sentence with words like 'most of the time' like she couldn't stand the idea of lying and had to clear up any miscommunications immediately. He likes it.

"So why don't you like me then? I thought you believed in everything Stefan says?" he asks easily, even though he thinks what he says might be true, and sits down beside her resting his arm on the railing, one hand almost touching her hair.

"WHAT?" she squeals, standing up again as if she has been zapped. Klaus wants to stand up too, to be close to her but since he just sat down he stays where he is. "That is NOT true. I have never agreed with everything Stefan says. Ask him, I am pretty sure that he would agree with me because I don't know how many times we have disagreed or fought and we are NOT..."

He cuts her off, even though her rambling is adorable, lifting his hand in a surrendering manner as he speaks.

"Okay, okay. Take it easy, sweetheart". She huffs at him, arms crossed and a little pout on her lips, he smiles again.

"Don't say that" she practically whines at him as she walks away a little bit to lean stand beside the fence surrounding the porch, leaning over it.

"Why not?" he asks deciding to stand up and place himself beside her again, to see how she reacts this time.

"Because... " she starts and Klaus turns to look at her, his eyes stuck in never-ending blue-green as the words she was supposed to say dies in her throat.

"Because?" he mumbles, moving his head a little closer, loving the way her breath hitches as he does and the way her eyes glances down to his lips quickly.

She doesn't answer him so he inches a little closer. She wets her lips and his heart jumps inside his chest. His eyes are stuck on hers, waiting. He wants to kiss her, badly, but he wants her, needs her, to make the first move.

Then suddenly she jumps back and walks a few steps away from him again, turning around to glare at him, as if he is the only one doing wrong here. He just resists rolling his eyes.

"Because I am not your love. I'm not anyone's love and I most definitely aren't your sweetheart" she says in a loud voice. But she looks away as she says it and Klaus can't help wonder if she is telling the whole truth.

"Well, no. But you are lovely and stunning and kind so I am going to keep calling you that. I do it with everyone, it doesn't have to be anything personal" but it is. It really is.

She almost seems disappointed at that which encourage Klaus to move on.

"So you don't like me because you don't know me? Well, we can solve that. Get to know me" he throws his arms out, letting them fall back to hit his thighs with a little smack and looks at her with his pleading eyes. Or puppy dog eyes as Rebekah use to call them.

"What? NO!" she answers him quickly. A little bit too quickly.

"Come on sweetheart" he pleads with her, sitting down on the bench again and never letting go of her eyes. "I dare you" he adds, hoping that she will fall for it. She seems like himself, not wanting to be wrong so maybe a challenge was the best way to make sure that she actually stayed and talked to him. It's her turn to throw her arms out before she hugs herself tightly and sits down beside him with a long sigh.

"So" she says after some silence "what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about you. Your future, your hopes, your dreams" he answers, looking in the eyes. Because it's true. He wants to know everything about her and her future, also he desperately wants to be a part of it.

She lets out a little laugh, throwing her head back, taking a deep breath as her hands find her neck, grabbing her hair. Then she sighs, loudly, before she turns to him with a little smile on her lips.

"I'm too smart to be seduced by you" she says, her voice almost soft as if she suddenly has come to an understanding. Just that it's the wrong understanding and he is not sure how to change her mind since she takes everything he says as an attempt to get her into his bed.

"That's why I like you" he answers, because it sounds pretty innocent and is at the same time as close to the truth he can come. She laughs a confused laugh. Klaus pities her, despite him never pitying anyone, he can feel how confused she is right now, can understand it. She is in a new situation, the guy she is in love with is marrying someone else. She has spent years loving him and he chooses someone else. He know that feeling, knows it all too well.

 _3 and ½ years ago_

" _Come on" Klaus urges Tatia as they walk down the corridor. He can't wait to make love to her. He desperately wants to hold her hand but he knows that she will draw away and get irritated if he does and he doesn't like it when she is irritated, so he stays a little behind her, trying to keep himself together._

 _She laughs, a soft small laugh that always sounds the same, no matter what he says to her. No matter what anyone says to her. Sometimes he wishes that she will do something special to just him but he has given up hope on it a long time ago. She is always the same, pulled together, soft woman that yet somehow feels sharp._

" _I don't think I want to today, Klaus. Can't we just stay here, talk to Rebekah and Elijah?" she asks sweetly, turning to him with a kind smile that makes his heart jump a little._

 _He knows that Rebekah is gonna leave at the same time he and Tatia walk in. His sister said straight out that she didn't like Tatia and that she thought that NEITHER of her brothers should trust her. She was 'too smart for her own good and up to something' as Rebekah say everytime Klaus talks to her about Tatia. Elijah seems to like her though, which Klaus finds liberating. He likes to have is the older brother's approval. But Rebekah only seemed to be even more angry and suspicious every time Elijah stood on Klaus' side in the matter._

" _Hi" Tatia says sweetly as she walks into the room. Rebekah, who sits in the big armchair with legs crossed just rolls her eyes but Elijah, standing by the window, smiles kindly against them and lifts his glass in a welcoming matter._

" _Hello Niklaus, Tatia" he says kindly, giving Klaus a little smile. Elijah is the only one who Klaus still allows to call him 'Niklaus'. He despises the name that his so-called father, who had spent years hitting him up, gave him and hated to hear other calls him that. But with Elijah, it's okay. He knows that Elijah loves him and never would betray him._

" _Hey, brother" he, therefore, says as he walks to the bar and gets himself and his girl a glass each. "Sister" He adds and gives one glass to Tatia with a smile that she returns with one of her tight ones. In the beginning, had Klaus thought she would open up after a while but now he starts to think that she just is that way. Not that he loves her any less for it._

" _I do not feel like spending people that I dislike so I am going to leave" Rebekah says coldly before she empties the last in her glass and walks out the door with swaying hips, not looking back. Elijah gives Tatia an apologetic smile but Klaus just rolls his eye. So typical his sister. She was the master of the bitchy drama queens, after all._

" _I will just run to the restroom, be right back" Klaus says after emptying his own glass, walking to Tatia to give her a kiss. She turns away slightly, turning her cheek but Klaus grabs her head and turns it against him to press a hard kiss to her mouth. The woman in his arms doesn't protest, but neither does she answer and Klaus pulls back a little disappointed before he walks out of the room._

 _He walks back into the room just a couple of minutes later. What he sees when he comes through the door makes him stop in his tracks and stare for a few seconds before he utters:_

" _What the hell" which causes Elijah to pull back from Tatia's mouth to look at him with a guilty look. Tatia doesn't look like she cares at all. She lifts her brows at Klaus before she gives him a sweet smile and walks against him to try and put a kiss on his lips, suddenly all into kissing him again._

 _But Klaus' pulls back, staring at her for a long while with something he knows is a betrayed look on his face._

" _Oh, come on Klaus" Tatia says, putting a cool hand on his arm "it's not like you seriously can think that we will last, you're just a kid". Klaus stares at her for a moment, she was just two years older than him and they had talked about it. She always said that it wasn't a problem. He backs away from her and walks to the bar, grabbing a bottle without seeing what it contains and lifts it to his lips to take a big gulp._

 _He can feel the tears threatening to leave his eyes, hot, sticky and irritating as he puts a hand on his face to try to press them back._

" _Niklaus" Elijah, that Klaus for a moment almost has forgotten, suddenly says, just a few meters away from him. Klaus jerks his arm down and glares at his brother._

" _NO!" he screams, his tears falling from his eyes even though he can't feel them because he is shaking and everything is blurry and all he can feel, all he can think about, is the burning red anger that wants to rip something apart._

" _Niklaus please" in the background can he hear Elijah keep pleading to him as he stares out in the blurry nothing in front of his eyes, trying to makes his hand stop shaking and his jaw relax. Then he hears Tatia's sweet voice and that makes the red spots dancing in front of his eyes turn black._

" _Don't worry about it, Elijah. He will understand when he gets older"._

 _Klaus throws the bottle on the wall with a shout and launches himself on Elijah, hitting his brother's jaw with a crack, lifting his arms to hit again when Elijah grabs him, throwing him off as he keeps saying more words that Klaus can't hear and can't understand._

 _In the end, Elijah leaves, locking the door behind him and Klaus hits the furniture and throws more bottles as the black before his eyes slowly vanish and he can start to think clearly._

 _Rebekah is the one to come to him after he has been alone for hours. She says that Elijah is with Tatia because she is scared, and that's the first time Klaus appreciates her sarcastic tone as she says this._

 _It is not before he lays in bed, when further hours have gone by that he thinks about how he never heard Tatia scream or felt her trying to stop him. When he thinks about it didn't she looked at all terrified. She looked pleased._

"Yeah, sure" Caroline says, with a little laugh, turning her head away from him. He knows that he can't make her feel like he is talking the truth. If it was her telling him that she liked him would he probably say the same thing. He is not worthy of her love after all.

"What do you want to do with your life, Caroline?" he says kindly, finding himself lost in a fathomless pool of blue-green once again when she turns around to look at him. She doesn't drop his eyes, not for many minutes as she tells him about studying in college and 'building a life for herself' and all the other things that any small town girl expect to be wanting to do.

As if she doesn't know how she can get the world if she wants. He vows to himself, then and there, to do anything in his power to make sure that she gets whatever she wants. To show her everything she can get. She is in the middle of talking about working at a little company in her hometown as he turns away, chuckling.

"Are you laughing at me?" she asks, sounding pissed and when he looks up at her is her eyes offended and he stops at once.

"No, no!" he convinces her. "It's just that it is a whole world out there. Big city's, beautiful art, breathtaking places, and forgotten cultures and you can have it all" he says, pulling back a tray of hair that is blocking his view of her beautiful face. "You don't have to want what everyone else wants you to, love. You are special" he lets his thumb brush her cheek as he says the last and it is exactly as soft as he thought it would be.

"You have no idea of what I want" she whispers, sounding breathless and her eyes are stuck on his.

"Oh, but I think I do" he answers, moving closer to her in a slow motion. Her eyes flick down to his lips and for a moment, for a beautiful moment, he thinks she will let him kiss her. The moment is broken when she stands up, quickly and a little unbalanced and walk several steps away from him.

"It's late" she mumbles apologetic, though she stands still, frozen to her spot for a while lookníng him in the eyes before she shakes her head and practically runs inside. Leaving Klaus with a heart that is beating, swelling, in a way he didn't even know it could do anymore.

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 **So there you go! Finally some Klaroline action. And I feel happy with the chapter I wrote for once.**

 **Tell me what you thought.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	13. The Unexpected

**So here we are again, new weel new chapter.**

 **Here we have a chapter that is told from Bonnie's point of view and it is all _Kennett._ So what isn't to love? We will see Bonnie transform back into the person she really is, the person she is supposed to be, in this chapter. Maybe not all the way but she will almost be herself at the end of this chapter. And all thanks to our favorite mischievous, hot younger Mikaelson. **

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 - The Unexpected**

Bonnie sits on the bench in the small city Stefan grow up in, taking a gulp from the water bottle she has in hand as she watches Kol play basketball with the kids in the park. He is surprisingly good with kids, laughing with them in a way that is so natural to him that Bonnie is actually shocked.

Maybe she shouldn't be, she realizes, he is a big child himself. Kol catches her eyes over the head over the kid he is swirling around and gives her a mischievous smile and a wink. She rolls her eyes at him but laughs quietly to herself when he turns away.

"Your boyfriend is nice with the kids, they love this" says a middle-aged woman that seats herself next to Bonnie.

"Oh, he isn't my boyfriend" Bonnie says quickly, maybe a little too quick when she thinks about it. "His sister is marrying my childhood friend so we are hanging out here to get out of the house" she continues. Then she wrinkles her eyebrows, she has never been the chatty type, so why is she telling this woman, a stranger, about her and Kol.

Not that it is a 'her and Kol' but normally she wouldn't say that to this woman.

"Ah, I'm sorry. You two just looked so tight coming here so I couldn't help but think that you were a couple" the woman gives a knowing look and Bonnie blushes, turning her eyes to Kol and the children once more, and thanks her lucky star that her skin color makes sure that the woman can't see her cheeks turning red.

"No, just friends. Barley that actually" Bonnie says, her eyes stuck at Kol for a millisecond too long.

She knows the woman talk about their laughs when they came here a few minutes ago. They had been eating ice cream and Kol had been teasing Bonnie because she had chosen two chocolate ice cream beads because it's the only taste in ice cream that Bonnie can stand.

She had laughed, despite trying to hide it. When he had jumped in front of her, forcing her to show him that she was laughing and then smiling proudly when he saw that she did had Bonnie taken a spoon of chocolate ice cream and smeared it out on Kol's nose. Kol had only laughed at this too, of course, seeing that he can't take anything seriously.

Kol and the two boys and the girl that clearly is the woman next to her's children come over, the other four boys running off in another direction. Kol smiles widely at her. So widely in fact that Bonnie can't help but smile back.

"Can we have ice cream, mum, please?" the little girl says, her brothers jumping in

"Please, mum, please, please, please" The woman beside Bonnie shakes her head but start picking up some money from her bag, the children shrieking beside her.

"Give some to the gentleman and this kind lady, too" she says, giving her children a stern look. They all nobs and runs away quickly.

Bonnie is just going to protest when Kol looks at her with his big, shining, dark brown eyes.

"Chocolate for you, lass?" he asks. She barely finds the time to nob her head before Kol is jogging after the boys and the girl. Bonnie smiles at is backside.

"It's a shame really" the woman beside her says, making Bonnie turn to her, "he seems like a charming young man who is clearly handsome and you are a sweet, beautiful girl. You should make a beautiful couple." The woman leaves, taking her kids, after they all hugged Kol goodbye, and leaves.

Bonnie snorts to herself. She has two reasons to not believe in that statement. Well, three actually, seeing that Kol isn't charming, not the way that she likes at least, she isn't beautiful, not compared to her friends that he sees every day, and they wouldn't make a good couple.

But Bonnie can't help to think over the words the woman has said. She knows she shouldn't, but then again, she knew that she shouldn't date her best friend's brother too. Sometimes even she breaks the rules.

"What are you thinking about now?" Kol suddenly says besides her.

"What?" she asks, a little lost in her own thoughts. Kol gives her a grin that she can't help but answer as he hands her the chocolate ice cream.

"You just have that wrinkle between your eyebrows again. Not that it's a bad thing, it's cute but it always looks like you are sad when you have it" he says doing a motion to her face. Bonnie is shocked for a few seconds before she crosses her arms.

"I wasn't aware that I'm not allowed to look as I please" she says dryly starting to move in the opposite direction than the woman and her kids.

"You are, you are a pretty girl. But you can't stop me from trying to cheer you up when you look like you just lost your lust to live" Kol says dramatically, following her without a complaint. Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"I am very much alive thank you very much" she says sarcastically. Kol gives her a proud smile.

"I know you still had that fire in you, Bennett. How come that you hide it? I talked to Stefan and he says that you used to have it all the time" he says, his voice is a little teasing but Bonnie can't help but think that he is somewhat serious.

"I need to say to Stefan about not giving out my information" Bonnie cuts him off.

"And then I overhear Caroline say that you been acting nice to Katherine and Katherine says that's because Jeremy cheated on you" Kol keeps going as if she hasn't said anything.

Bonnie stops, dead in her tracks, staring on the handsome man in front of her. Katherine said what? How did Katherine know that? Bonnie had sworn to herself not to tell anyone until after Stefan's wedding, not wanting to take the spotlight from her friend. But she would have known, not a change that something like that would go over Katherine's head. She was the most inventive, smart, leery girl Bonnie ever has met.

"What..." she stutters "what did you say?" Kol turns to her, standing in front of her no, due to her stopping so suddenly.

"You heard me, darlin'. How come you haven't told your friends about it?" he seems serious, a look Bonnie hasn't seen on him before. It's beautiful. Not handsome and charming as everything else on him. Just hands down beautiful.

Seconds after thinking that thought she shakes her head, banning it from er rain. She just broke it off with her long-term boyfriend, she shouldn't be thinking like this about a grown-up man still acting like a boy how she never will see again when she travels back to the USA in a week. That hurts more than it should.

"Hello? Bonnie lass, where did you go?" Kol says, waving his hands in front of her eyes. Bonnie drys the tears running down her cheeks. She doesn't know if they are because of Jeremy or Kol. Maybe both. She is a mess right now.

Maybe that's why she lets Kol pull her against his chest, burying her head in his shoulder and cries in a way she hasn't since she was a child. She isn't a girly girl, crying wasn't for her that much. She is strong, she knows that she is strong. She just doesn't feel like it right now.

 _2 ½ years ago_

 _They are outside the pub a couple of guys encircle them, Caroline's cry the first thing that Bonnie can think about and then there's a hand on her back, trying to force her up against the wall. She automatically slaps t away, hard. Beside her is Elena pulling back from another guy with red hair. She counts them. Six against four. That isn't remotely fair. Not when they are six strong men against four girls. Where were Stefan and Jeremy when you needed them? And Matt, and Tyler too for that part. Not that thréy should be here._

 _Bonnie missed Damon at that moment. He was a troublemaker, always punching the first punch. But he wouldn't let anything like this happen to Elena. To any of them, he would gladly fight back. Caroline is already against the wall, crying. Katherine is shielding her because why wouldn't she?_

 _The girl is all fire, and Bonne knows for a fact that even if she pretends to not care about anyone but herself she would gladly fight for the ones close to her. Caroline is on the top on that, rather small list. Bonnie was happy to find herself at it at all._

 _She ducks just in time to not get the man's fist in her occiput. A moment later is he laying on the ground, Stefan standing over him. Jeremy stands behind him, looking terrified and Matt and Tyler stand beside him with dark looks on their faces. Caroline's_

" _Tyler" is only silenced by Elena's_

" _Stefan". Caroline sounds relieved as if she has been saved, Elena sounds terrified. She always does when one of the Salvatore brothers punch something, even if it, like now, is necessary._

 _The guys run, of course, they do, and Stefan takes a few step forward to take Elena in his arms. She gladly hides her face against his jacket while she rambles about how he is not supposed to hit people._

 _Caroline jumps into Tyler's arms, crying like the lost girl she is. Tyler pushes her away, leaving her chopping for air. Bonnie finds that cruel. Fine, it was a couple of months since that they broke up, or rather he brutally dumped her in front of everyone on the winter dance at their school, but that did not mean that it was acceptable for him to leave her here when she clearly was upset. Bonnie knows that Tyler doesn't know about what Damon did to her, but still. Katherine is there immediately and the friends hug tightly._

 _The next moment is a couple of arms around her. Jeremy hugs her tight, too tight, against his chest. Bonnie lays her arms on his._

" _I was so scared" he mumbles against her hair. "I thought that you were hurt" he pulls back and he is crying. Bonnie feels her heart melt, it's so cute that he cares so much for her._

" _I'm okay" she whispers, giving him a kiss. In the corner of her eye, she sees Stefan embrace Caroline and Katherine at once. Matt very likely left with Tyler. Jeremy presses her against him and Bonnie leans into him, trying to hide from the uneasy feeling inside of her._

Kol slowly pulls away, seemingly checking if it's okay that he moves. Bonnie immediately drops her hold on him. What is she thinking anyway? She isn't a hug person, and she most definitely doesn't hug men that she met only a week ago. Well, maybe she would but not in this way and not a man that she felt something for. They stare into each other's eyes for a moment before Bonnie continues walking.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Are you okay?" Kol says with a little laugh, jogging up next to her. She snorts a little, because she is obviously not fine, and glances at him.

"Yes" is her simple answer. She is almost proud of how normal it sounds. He lifts his eyebrows clearly doubting her.

"Don't play me, Bonnie Bennett, I can see right through you" he points at her with a finger and she can't help but laugh.

She turns to him with a smile on her lips. When she sees him she starts laughing again. His arm and shoulder are smudged with her ice cream. She giggles uncontrollably, unable to stop for almost a minute. In the beginning, Kol looks smug and proud over himself. But after a while, he turns to her with a questioning look.

"Here" Bonnie says, taking one of her tissues and tries to clean the t-shirt off. Kol turns around on himself, trying to find the stain. "Stand still" Bonnie laughs, still holding the tissue. Kol laughs and goes another round, for good measure, Bonnie guesses, before he stands still, receiving Bonnie's help.

"Man, this is my favorite shirt" he complains but he doesn't sound that unhappy.

"I'm sorry" Bonnie says, feeling truly regretful for staining it. Kol looks at her with laughing, boyish, eyes and shakes his head so that his hair flows around his face.

"I'm only kidding, Bonnie" he assures her and then he gives her a long look of something that she can't describe. "It did what it was supposed to do, it made you laugh" he continues, looking seriously right into her eyes. Bonnie looks away, never been good with feelings.

"Yeah" she says, not sure why and she continues walking, liking at her ice cream.

"Now I just have to do it again. What do you want to do?" Kol follows her like a dog. Bonnie almost chokes on her ice cream.

"You don't have to do it again" she says offended because she hates the idea of someone else taking care of her. It means she can't take care of herself and Bonnie has taken care of herself for as long as she can remember.

"I know, I just want to. Your laugh is beautiful" Kol says and this time Bonnie does choke, coughing loudly into her armpit. "Plus" Kol says, pulling her jaw up with his fingers so that they look eye to eye. "You are boring when you are all deep in your depressing thoughts" Bonnie snorts again, shaking her head so that his fingers leave her chin.

"Soo… if you would cheer me up, what would you do?" she asks, moving her arms in front of her, in a dramatic movement. One she clearly has picked up from him.

"How about we go do some shopping?" he looks really pleased with himself and Bonnie shakes her head again, laughing.

"Wow, I did not expect you to be so ordinary. Let's go do something fun at least, I hate shopping" she says. Kol gives her a sly look.

"Okay, let us go to the climbing place not long from here" he says, shrugging his shoulders. She gives him a mischievous smile before she mimics his motion.

"Let's go" she says daringly, knowing that he just had been teasing her. He looks at her with big eyes for a moment before he gives out a short laugh.

"Really?" he asks, with big, eyes hopeful like a little child with his birthday present. He is practically beaming when Bonnie nobs her head. "Come on then" he grabs her hand and pulls her with him.

"In a hurry, are we?" she asks teasingly. He looks at her with happy eyes and Bonnie can't help the giddy feeling in her chest, spreading in her body.

"Yes, we are going to have fun" he drags her a little harder, sick sacking trough people. Bonnie laughs right out, feeling really happy for the first time in a while. It is interrupted however with a mumble from Kol that leaves Bonnie both blushing and a little flattered. But most of all it leaves her confused. A mumble she is pretty sure she wasn't meant to her.

"And I just can't wait to see you climbing in those jeans"

* * *

 **So there we have it, a Kennett chapter with a perfect chapter that I really hope I did justice. I also hope that Bonnie's envelopment is acceptable and that I haven't rushed her.**

 **Would like to hear what you think so leave a comment!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	14. The Family

**New chapter. From Rebekah's point of view. And I am pretty sure to hear that Frey is in this chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - The Family**

Rebekah is a little anxious. She will be married in five days. Stefan is with his friends and she is supposed to be with her brothers, a family moment before they give her away. It is a little comical that she is the youngest of them and still is the one who is going to be married.

She stares out over the vineyard, looking on Stefan and his friends sitting on a blanket as the sun goes down. The laughs are heard all the way here, Katherine teasing Stefan, Caroline defending him, Elena's easy laugh, Bonnie's smart comments and Damon's sassy every now and then.

"Rebekah?" Elijah is standing beside her, in a suit, as usual, dark blue with a matching tie and a dark grey button up under. "Are you coming?" he offers his arm and Rebekah smiles as she takes it, not in the mode to talk right now.

She knows that her brothers are handsome and that each of them is wonderful in their own ways. If you think about that it's surprising that no one of them has found the right one. But she also knows that all of them are messed up and broken in their own way and if you think about that it's not surprising at all.

"Nice of you to join us, sister" Rebekah rolls her eyes at Nik as she walks forward and gives him half a hug. He responds in the same manner.

"Yes, well. I know that you wouldn't survive a moment without me so I come, to save your miserable asses" she says softly, a wicked smile on her lips as she gives her youngest brother half a hug, too.

"Well, lucky us" Kol says, a little ironically but Rebekah isn't that easy to fool. She grew up with them, she can hear the sweet, tender side in his voice.

"Certainly" Elijah says as he offers Rebekah a glass of vine. He lifts his glass and says. "Always and forever" before he drinks. Rebekah immediately lifts her own glass, repeating the words before she swallows the content. Kol and Nik do the same.

It is their family thing, they have done it ever since they were kids and Michael lay his hand on Nik for the first time. The only time it wasn't said as often was when Tatia was in the picture. Just another reason to hate her, really.

"So what shall we do today, a few days before my best friend steal our dear sister" Nik asks sarcastically when he has emptied his glass.

"Nik" Rebekah wines. She knows that he is kidding, that he likes Stefan and that he accepts it and even secretly loves the idea of them dating and getting married. But considering how many men Nik had scared away from her it isn't a joke that she finds funny.

"Now let's get this party started" Kol cuts in, taking a swing directly from the flask under Elijah's dissatisfied eyes. Rebekah laughs with him and Nik cuts in with a small chuckle.

"I think Stefan asked Priscilla to prepare our food and that it should be ready right about now" Elijah shakes his head as he shoos them into the next room.

"I talked to her myself, actually and made sure she is doing your favorite, Rebekah" Nik jumps in and Rebekah gives him a warning eye.

"I really hope you didn't terrify the woman, Nik" she says with a meaningful look. Her brother just smiles, which doesn't calm her.

"Do not worry, girl, he was nice. Mostly" says the older woman with long grey hair, giving her a wink and Nik a sly look. Nik snorts back and Kol laughs out.

They sit down, Nik on the end, Elijah to his right and Rebekah on his left. Kol sits down beside her, giving her one of his boyish smiles and Rebekah smiles back.

"Thank you, Pricilla" Rebekah says to the woman that serves them their food to then back out of the room.

"No problem child" she says on her way out. Rebekah knows for a fact that she is much of a mother to Stefan and Damon. Their own mother dying on Stefan's birth bed and their father never at home, blaming his kids for the loss of his wife.

In the beginning, had she been mad on Damon for blaming his brother but she soon learned that Stefan got that wrong. Damon blamed himself for everything, including Stefan's bad self-conscious. But she is very happy that Damon seems to like her. He doesn't show love in a normal way, the exception Elena as Rebekah has seen this last week, but he is sarcastic and gave her a funny nickname, Barbie, and that is love from his side. But she is even more happy for the fact that Pricilla liked her since it's clear that Stefan trusts her judgment.

"Should we be telling embarrassing stories or should we save them to the wedding?" Kol asks beside her and Rebekah laughs quickly, before lifting her right hand, pointing warningly at them each in turn.

"If you tell ONE embarrassing story I will rip you apart myself" she says seriously. Nik and Kol snort and even Elijah hides his smile behind his hand.

"I'm extremely sorry sister, not to be rude or anything but you know that we all are stronger than you in a fight" Nik points out and Rebekah glares at him because it's true. They had all been in fighting courses for years, ever since they were young. Klaus, despite not being longer than herself is just powerful muscles and Elijah is so tactic that he can beat everyone in a fight. The only one she could beat sometime was Kol but he was often unpredictable and straight out stupid in his moves sometimes, making it impossible for anyone to beat him.

"One thing I want to talk about tough is Stefan's friends. You know the ones you can't seem to stop staring at" Rebekah changes the topic. Nik stares at her, looking terrified for a moment. Kol actually blushes and Elijah's stony face falls for a second too long.

"What about them?" of course Nik is the first to asks. She knows her brothers, they would rather die than let anyone find out about the being in love with some girl.

"I don't know. Does the name 'Caroline' sound familiar?" Kol jumps in, clearly trying to get the attention as long away from him as possible.

"I do not think you are the one to judge, Kol" Elijah says, his voice deep and stern, a little too much so to be talking and Rebekah know that Elijah tries to the same thing as Kol do, just that he is a little more subtle in it.

"Should you say, 'Lijah, you literally got that hot girl drooling over you and yet you keep turning her down to lead her on seconds later" Kol spits out, starting to stand up to storm out. Rebekah desperately opens her mouth to talk them out of it. This wasn't her intention, she wanted to tease them and make them talk about it. Because she likes the girl and her brothers need to find happiness.

"Sit down, brother!" Nik beats her to it, his voice strong and dangerous. Rebekah had never met anyone, maybe apart from herself, Elijah and Kol if he was especially stubborn, that hadn't done exactly as he says when he uses it. Kol falls back in his chair again, leaning back and crossing his arms, pouting like a little child. The atmosphere is thick with tension.

"Come on, boys" Rebekah says, her voice stern too. "I don't care if you like these girls, I mean I like them and that is a plus, but what I really care about is your happiness. So if they make you happy then you should be with them" her voice gets higher for every word she says. "Just look at me and Stefan! I know that you think that our family is broken. You are right, our family IS broken. But that doesn't mean that it can't be fixed. We're not destroyed, it's not hopeless. But you have to take the change first" she lowers her voice a little before she says the last sentence. "And I know for a fact that these girls have their own problems so they do not need you to play with them."

Her two youngest brother looks away guilty, Nik having tears in his eyes and Kol completely red. Elijah keeps her gaze, but she sees that it's something broken in them. Something she hasn't seen in a long time because he has been so good at covering it up.

"You're right" Nik says after a while "we're broken" Kol finally looks up, open emotions playing on his facial expression. "And they clearly have their own shit to take care of".

Rebekah rolls her eyes at that. So typical him to take her words and put them out of context.

"That's not what I said, Nik and you know it" she sighs. Nik still refuses to look in her eyes but Kol suddenly looks determent as he speaks up again.

"If we did something now wouldn't matter since we're going back to England next week and they are going back to America" he says. Rebekah smiles victoriously at him. Finally, they are getting somewhere.

"You wouldn't know that if you hadn't thought about it before" she points out and Kol is blushing again. The last time she saw him blushing this much when she was in middle school.

"Well, maybe I actually thought about it... " Kol mumbles and Rebekah almost drops her jaw. That Kol opens up to his family is just as common as an asteroid impact, it doesn't happen. "And maybe I come to the same conclusion as our delusional brother here" his eyes are hard when he stops talking, the sadness gone in a few seconds.

"Or maybe" Elijah leans his elbows on the table, clasping his hands "you're scared of what you feel and what the commitment would do to you" he does a dramatic gesture, making sure Kol is looking him in the eye before he talks again. "You're afraid that the first girl you really want will turn you down if you ask her to follow you around the world".

"That's how it's like to be in love" Rebekah hopes she sounds ensuring. If you listen to Kol's huff she probably doesn't.

"It's scary, isn't it?" It's the second time that Rebekah almost falls of her chair. Her own brother, the hard one, with no feelings, ever, are looking vulnerable and weak, he looks in love, as he says the words that all of them are thinking.

"Yeah" Rebekah leans over to take his hand, grabbing Kol's with her other one "it is". They smile against each other, both her brothers hugging her hands and Elijah leaning forward putting one hand on each of hers.

"Maybe it's time to fix this family now" Elijah says lowly. Kol snorts again, rolling his eyes.

"As if that's not what you've been trying to do for years" he says ironically. Nik and Rebekah laugh a little as Elijah is smiling at his younger siblings and Kol's proud grin.

"Yes it is, but I don't think I have had the chance to succeed before now" he answers calmly. Just as Rebekah is about to talk again she hears a voice behind her.

"Family moment without me, really?" Rebekah stands up in a few seconds, all brothers with her, turning to the voice as if it hit them. Rebekah stared at the brown blond woman standing in the doorway. Rebekah know her, knew her very well at least. They hadn't seen each other for years.

"Freya" she says, not sure if she is happy or on her guard. What she does know is that her voice sounds surprised in a way it never would in front of the woman who she is looking in the eye.

 _2 years ago_

" _Hey" Kol laughs as he ducks from Rebekah's pillow, throwing his own at Freya standing on the couch._

" _Ouch" Freya laughs and attacks him with a squirm, Kol tries to push her off but fails and Rebekah giggles as she throws herself on her twin brother and best friend._

 _Freya is one year older than her and has brown hair with blonde highlights. They have known each other since preschool and always been as salt and pepper, Rebekah being the salt, of course, you could never see the first one without the other one being there too._

" _I surrender, I surrender!" Kol screams dramatically, lying still and playing dead. The girls laugh happily as they jump off him and then sits down on the couch, legs up against their chests and waits for Kol to put on the movie they had agreed on seeing. Agreed meaning that Rebekah and Freya had stated it and Kol had muttered about it for an hour about it._

 _They sit through half of the movie, Kol and Rebekah discussing everything on the screen because they are just two of these people that can't be quiet while watching a movie._

 _Rebekah knows this bothers people, for example, Marcel, but Freya is so used to it that she doesn't even seem to hear them anymore. Then suddenly, Freya turns to her, looking a little nervous._

" _You know Keelin?" she says and Rebekah gives her a weird look. Because come on, of course, she knows Keelin, she has been hanging with them ever since Rebekah was 16, Freya 17 and Keelin 19._

 _The last year had Freya and Keelin started a romantic relationship. It wasn't a secret that Keelin was a lesbian or that Freya was bi. But it still surprised Rebekah, they where such good friends. You don't start dating your friends, right?_

 _She has always been the girl for an instant connection, or well enemy's to lovers was pretty normal too but she had never started dating a close friend._

 _Rebekah would lie if she said she wasn't jealous over how close the two girls became. Rebekah suddenly wasn't number one for Freya anymore and it hurt. She is starting to get why Freya never liked anyone of her boyfriends. Rebekah wasn't known for being good at seeing others feeling and she is pretty sure that she has forsaken Freya at more than one time._

" _Well…" Freya goes on awkwardly "I proposed to her yesterday, we are getting married" Rebekah stares at her closest friend._

" _What?!" is the only thing she can say. An irritated look is forming itself in Freya's eyes but before she can say anything Kol cuts in, clearly not sensing the tension between the two girls._

" _Oh, can I be the best man? Please!" Freya laughs, pulling a little in Kol's hair where he sits on the floor in front of them._

" _Yes, of course, you are the best man, crazy" she laughs._

 _Rebekah shakes of her jealousy, her best friend is getting married, and she is going to be the bridesmaid, she will be happy._

" _I am so happy for you guys!" she says, leaning forward to give Freya a hug that she gladly accepts._

" _Really?" she says and Rebekah presses back the last bits of insecurity as she smiles wildly._

" _Absolutely!" she says, actually meaning it. "Plus that I will be your bridesmaid, how could I be angry at you?"_

 _The question has the smile falling from Freya's lips._

" _Rebekah, you have to understand. My mom doesn't like you and we can only have one bridesmaid and Keelin has this friend who lives in Portugal and is flying here especially to with us on the wedding day" Freya stutters and Rebekah feels her own smile fall._

" _So I won't be the bridesmaid?" she asks, a little coldly because they promised each other years ago that they would be bridesmaids at each other's weddings. Maybe it's a little childish for seeing so much in it but she does and she is not liking this._

" _I want you to but…" Freya starts but her phone starts to ring, Rebekah can see that it's Keelin._

" _No buts, go to your girlfriend, it's clear that you don't want to be with me right now" Rebekah tells her, crossing her arms over her chest._

" _Rebekah" Freya says, sounding a little desperate._

" _No" she knows she is childish but she doesn't care. She is selfish, that's just how she is and Freya is clearly choosing someone else over her._

" _Okay then!" Freya hisses, grabbing her phone and standing up abruptly. "I will go" she says in the doorway before she rushes out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her._

" _Good" Rebekah shouts after her and stands up to run up to her own room._

" _Wow" she hears Kol say, impressed in the background. She screams in response to that._

That was the last time she saw Freya. A week before the wedding she received a letter, asking her for forgiveness and telling that Keelin's parents were against gay marriage and that they, therefore, had to run away.

Kol had been devastated about that he wasn't going to be the best man. Rebekah was totally ruined about ending it on bad terms with her best friend. Her only friend if you didn't count her brothers.

"You thought I would let you get married without me?" Freya asks, her arms doing a gesture that still reminds Rebekah of Kol. Dramatic gestures are something all the boys in her family have and Freya had picked up from all the time she spent in the house. Rebekah runs into her arms, hugging the other girl tightly against herself.

"I'm so, so sorry" she whispers, tears running down her cheeks. Freya dries them off, laughing a little. It's the exact same laugh as it was two years ago.

"It's okay. I am sure we would have made up if I hadn't disappeared" Freya hugs her harder.

"Oh," Rebekah says, pulling back suddenly "I already have a bridesmaid, I'm sorry".

"It's okay, it's only fair, you weren't it mine" they giggle together. When Rebekah feels an arm around her shoulders she knows it is Kol, he and Freya were close friends before she left.

"As much as I love the touching reunion, I want to hug her too" he says before he lifts Freya into his arms. Rebekah laughs, hugging of Keelin that has stood behind Freya all the time.

"Come and eat" she says, pointing at the table "we are having a family dinner and you are more than welcome" Freya grabs her hand and squeeze it, Rebekah presses back, feeling like she finally has a whole family again.

* * *

 **So, that it is for this time, finally got to meet Freya, hope that you like her.**

 **Tell me what you thought!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	15. The Girl

**Here is the new chapter!**

 **This one is from Damon's point of view and we finally receive some Delena action (yayy). A little more backstory on the Gilbert's are in here too.**

 **To Loveklaroline: Thank you for your wonderful comment, it totally made my day! No need to worry about your English, it's not my** **native language either (that's why this is so badly written).**

 **Hope you will enjoy reading this!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - The Girl**

Damon laughs at Katherine's comment on Stefan's dating life, calling it "boring" and "predictable".

"Come on, Kit Kat" he cuts in "it can't be that bad, he did date you and switched a couple off twins. Having both twins is on every man's bucket list" he gets a boast of Caroline snort and laughs wholeheartedly again.

That's until he feels a sharp, strong elbow in his side and sees that Elena's eyes are practically burning with rage for something he can't understand. Again. Why did he always to piss just her off? Her opinion is after all the only one, except Stefan, Enzo and maybe Bonnie, that he actually cared about.

"What?" he asks, because he really doesn't know what he did to upset her. he does know, however, that he will change it if she tells him.

"Not nice of you to say that to their faces, Damon" Bonnie jumps in. She sips from her glass and gives him an easy smile and it clicks in Damon's head. He is so happy to have Bonnie in moments like these, no one of the others ready to help him out.

He had barely recognized her when she got her, sad and quiet. He has a slight idea that Jeremy has to do with it but he hasn't asked yet. Trying to give her time, since she clearly is in need of it. Plus that it has been impossible to see her without Kol on her tail the last couples of days. But he was happy to note that she slowly was becoming better. He thinks Kol is helping her with that.

Not that he knows how that boy doesn't seem to know anything but how to hit a ball in a special angel and then run around cones. But how is he to judge really, he would do anything to help Elena and god knows Bonnie needs someone more adventures than Jeremy at her side.

"Oh, I'm sorry then" he says sarcastically, carefully looking Elena in the eyes all the time. He can see her relax and the lines around her mouth disappear smile relieved, knowing his apology has been accepted. He hears Katherine snort and looks up to see Katherine's itchy face and Caroline's disgusted. Stefan's face is also twisted but Bonnie is smiling and he smiles back at her, liking the blush that starts to cover Elena's cheeks.

"So…" Caroline says and Damon rolls his eyes, knowing she does it only to break the tension between him and Elena. A tension that he likes very much, thank you. "how wants chicken?" the blonde girl waves a box with chicken wings. Stefan lifts a hand, of course, because he can't go a minute without trying to break him and Elena up either. Damon glares at him.

"What's her favorite food?" Elena asks suddenly and both Damon and Stefan turns to stare at her, shocked.

"Who?" they both say, a confused look on Stefan's face that Damon is almost sure is mirrored on his own.

"Rebekah's of course!" Caroline states, her tone clearly showing that it should be obvious.

"Oh, yeah" Stefan looks timid and stares down at his lap for a moment. Damon lifts his eyebrows at that. He hasn't seemed that kind of look since he and Elena were together and it was a rarity then too. "She is weak for fish for some reason but her favorite dessert is fudge".

"Aww" the girls go, except Katherine. He meets her eyes and miming

"Oh, how charming".

Katherine rolls her eyes back, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she looks away from him to tease Stefan about his clearly blush. Damon doesn't know if she is bitchy against him or her other friends and he is not about to find out.

Damon isn't scared, of anything actually, but he is smart enough to not question Katherine and to stay away from blondie in fights, or get Elena angry because she won't talk to you for days. Rebekah is a planner, planning a revenge so good it is not worth messing with her and Bonnie is smart enough to make sure that you will pay for it in the future too. He would be stupid if he messed with them. Not that it stops him, but he knows the boundaries.

"Eye color?" Caroline asks quickly after, all three of them looking expectingly on Stefan.

"Light blue" Stefan is more repressed now, starting to get that something is going on. Everyone else knew that half an hour ago but what can Damon say.

"Birthday?" Bonnie jumps in, to Damon's surprise, she usually isn't that girly.

"October 31. Why are we asking me random questions about my fiancée?"

"It's a test, Stefan" Caroline somehow manage to have a tone that is containing that it is obvious, which is not if he can say what he thinks, and at the same time so much enthusiasm that it would be enough for a whole football team. Stefan gives her a confused look ."You do it to find out if you are ready to marry your partner" she continues, clearly hurt that he doesn't get it.

"Because it's not like it would be too late to change it now…" Damon pretends to think and puts one hand on his chin in an exaggerative gesture. "Oh, wait" Bonnie desperately tries to hide her smile in her fist. It isn't working and he smiles back at her.

Caroline glares at him and Stefan rolls his eyes at her side. These last days have Damon started to understand why they are so close friends, the judgment is always thick around both of them. He is forever grateful that Stefan actually will marry Rebekah, who he has grown to like, instead of Caroline, who isn't just the over-enthusiastic bombshell but the very girl that he has mistreated more than one time.

"So, do you trust her?" Elena says as if she hasn't heard him, the only clue that she has a cute little smile playing in the corner of her mouth.

"Yes" Stefan answer is immediate. "I know that we will last. I love her and she makes me fight for her, makes me stay. She loves much and big and easy. I never understood that it was what I needed until I met her but it is. She gives me a reason to stay". Damon can't say anything after his brother stops talking.

Not even him is so insensitive that he would something snarky about that. Mainly because he knows that it's true, this girl has given his brother a reason to stay. Exactly as Elena gave him a reason to be good.

Then he sees the eyes Stefan gives Elena. He is staring at her in the same way he did all these years ago. Damon glances at her, afraid of what he might find. Elena is, for a fact, looking at Stefan with her big brown doe eyes. The same eyes as Damon gladly dig his own grave for. It hurts. Bad. To see her look at him that way, after all this time.

After their trip, he thought he actually had a chance with her, a real honest to god change, because he hadn't had any of those before. But clearly, she still liked his brother more than she liked him. Everyone does.

A moment later he feels a small hand on his arm and is pulled away by Elena. She stops a bit into the vineyard when the others cannot see them anymore.

"So" she says, pulling her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear with one hand as the other nervously fists at her hip. "that thing with Jeremy a few years ago". Damon's smile falls. Is she really not over that? He thought they had put that behind them. He thought she understood that he only did what he knew was right.

 _3 years ago_

 _Damon leans back against the wall. His leather jacket is a little cold in the chilly room but he can't bring himself to care. Elena, Katherine, Bonnie, and Stefan sits on the couch, looking nervously at a woman with a notepad in her hand and dark brown hair. The big surprise to him is that Bonnie is the only one that is calm, she is the one in love with Jeremy after all._

" _It is really necessary? He has been doing fairly good these last days" Elena says, hugging Stefan's hands. They look like they are in couple therapy. Too bad this isn't therapy really._

" _Yes I am afraid so" the lady, Jo, says with a calm voice and leans forward._

" _But you heard her, he has been doing much better these last days, maybe he can have a therapist?" Stefan jumps in with a sideglance at Elena._

 _Damon rolls his eyes. Of course, Stefan has to be at Elena's rescue. As if he doesn't know exactly what Jeremy needs to get back on the right path in his life._

" _It is very possible that he has been doing better these last days but that doesn't mean that he has been doing good. He needs rehabilitation, he will, of course, be able to talk to a therapist but that doesn't change the fact that he is a drug abuser and needs to be treated" the woman says, her eyes flicking between Stefan and Elena as if the others aren't even there._

" _But…" Elena starts weakly._

" _He was high when we did the test yesterday, he knows about them, he could have made himself clean. Only real addicts take the same day as they are being tested" Damon can see Elena jerk from where he stands. "He needs help"._

" _Then help him" Bonnie, talking for the first time, looking a little pale under her dark skin._

" _I'm trying to, but I need Katherine and Elena's signatures here before we can take him to our home for addicts" Jo offers Katherine the notepad and she takes it and writes her name in a fabulous way. As she crosses her legs, an indifferent expression on her face, she speaks._

" _And if he gets back to it when he gets out, what are we supposed to do?" she asks. Damon shakes his head, typical Katherine, she is always straightforward._

" _That's not likely, we had have very few relapses these last years" Jo answers as she gives Elena the notepad. The beautiful brunette looks outright disgusted by it._

" _But if?" Katherine presses. Sometimes Damon almost forgets that she is as much of an orphan as Jeremy and Elena. She is so much stronger in it._

" _We take him back in if he needs it" Jo says, her eyes flickering over everyone in the room._

" _Who called you?" Katherine asks a new question, clearly in a mood._

" _Bonnie? Did you tell them?" Elena turns to her best friend. Bonnie wrinkles her forehead, looking hurt. Damon really feels for her, they are talking about the boy she is in love with and her best friend accuses her of being the mind behind it. But Damon gets Elena too, she just wants to protect what's left of her family, he would have done the same for Stefan._

" _What? No!" Bonnie says and Damon smiles at the strength that she clearly cares within her._

" _No, a Mr. Damon Salvatore called us a few days ago, we checked it up and we consider it as a serious problem. Therefore decided to take the control before it gets out of hand" Elena's eyes burn into him as all eyes aim at him. He ignores the uneasy feeling and just shrugs._

" _Well, I thought it was about time" he says, trying to keep his voice even._

 _The meeting ends after that. Elena writing her name on the notepad with a numb expression, Stefan refusing to let go of her, sending Damon dirty glances whenever she gets the change. Stefan does as well, glaring at Damon. Katherine looks at him too, searching and Damon wiggles a little under her eyes. She if anyone is the one to understand what he is doing._

 _Stefan is hugging Bonnie, how is crying as they lead Jeremy away. Elena is standing beside them, arms around herself, her eyes spilling over with tears and her whole body vibrating. Damon wants to give her a hug, wants to pull her close and assure her that everything will be okay. He will make sure that everything will be okay, for her. But he can't, because she wouldn't understand, wouldn't want to understand._

 _So he stands a bit away, watching the tears falling down her face. Katherine stands on the other side, one hand on her purse and the other on her waist and with a stern facial expression._

 _The next second is Jeremy pulling free from the two men and makes a run from it. Damon acts before he can think, getting in the way of Elena's little brother to stop him. Except e isn't stopping, he just right into Damon and both of them crash to the ground._

 _For a moment Damon stares straight into big brown doe eyes, identical to both of the sisters, the eyes of the girl he loves. In the next, his experience kicks in and he is he moving up, getting Jeremy under him and presses both of them against the ground as the men move forward, this time grabbing the boy by the arms and drags him away as he fights._

 _The other walks away, Stefan talking with Katherine and still hugging Bonnie from behind as he tries to make Elena walk with them to the car. But Elena, stubborn as she is, turns on her heels and walks against Damon instead._

" _Hey, Elena" Damon says, trying to act as if nothing has happened and he isn't bleeding from one knee, both his elbows and apparently his nose while ignoring Elena's big eyes, glistening with hurt and sorrow at the same time._

" _Why, Damon, why?" her voice is shaking and her eyes watering again, her mascara already smeared out under her eyes from crying. He feels miserable, a part of him wanting nothing more than to take her into his arms and comfort her, hug her, even kiss her if she would let him._

 _Because he loves her, oh, he loves her so much that it hurts and he never wants to make anything that wouldn't make her happy. He felt like an awful human being, very likely the same awful being as she sees as she looks at him right now. And that just makes him feel so much worse._

 _He has to take a deep breath, swallowing the lump in his throat and look away from her and her big, pleading eyes to answer her._

" _Have you looked at the kid, Elena? He is a miserable drug addict, he needs expert help and I just haven't the time nor the desire to help you run around and look for him" he turns on her heels and walks away, blinking away his tears._

 _He knows that he is harsh but he has to be. She is, after all, just a child and she wouldn't understand that all he thinks about is the best for her, for her entire family, in the future._

" _Damon" Elena comes running after him because of course, she does! The girl just can't take a hint, can't stop hoping on the people she is around. HE loves her for it, because sometimes, just sometimes, she makes him believe that he is good or at least that he can be good. But in times like now, he hates it because he knows he will disappoint her again._

" _Don't, Elena. I have nothing more to say" he says, without turning around. If he turned, around she would see the tears in his eyes and she would try to understand and fail at it and Damon can't take that. He doesn't want to take that. "See you Monday"._

 _He hears her puff out air in what clearly is a hurt manner and some part of him is disappointed that she stops, no matter how relieved other parts of him is._

" _No." Elena says, her voice cold and steady now, so different from the desperate, upset voice she had used only moments earlier, so much more like Katherine and yet not the quite the same. A warm, caring girl like Elena can never get the voice of a cold-hearted manipulator like Katherine. "You have lost me forever" she only whispers the words but he can hear them as clear as if she has screamed them in his face, hitting him with them._

 _He slowly turns around and watches her as she storms off. He cries for her, again._

"I…" Damo says, ready to explain everything. She isn't a child anymore, after all. Neither is she in a relationship with her brother so he doesn't have to keep her at a distance and making her hate him.

"I know that you did to protect me" Elena interrupt him "I'm not stupid, I figured it out". She looks at Damon, the innocent eyes he fell in love with so many years still there, but still not. They are more vise, not as innocent. But they are still warm, and free and above all loving.

"No, you're quite smart actually" Damon mocks her, not sure if he can act on the feelings that shine from her eyes.

"Yes, I am" Elena says, moving a little on her spot and looking ridiculously cute as she does. "And I know what I want" she says looking him in the eyes. Damon stares back, his hands itching to stroke the strand of hair away from her face. "And I want you, Damon, I want…"

He doesn't let her finish before he has his hand in her hair and pulling her in for a hard, lip crushing kiss. In an instant is her hands on his neck, pulling him impossibly closer, opening her warm, sweet mouth to him. He presses against her, moving his hands to her hips and kisses her harder. got

They pull back, smiling big, against each other and then Elena is laughing, a wonderful laugh that seems to be starting in her stomach and then bubbles up until it finally moves past her lips in the most beautiful sound Damon has ever heard.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore" she says, slowly, so low he almost misses it. But he hears it, clear as a day. And he answers with the only words he can, with the word how has been true for years but he never got the change to say.

"And I love you, Elena Gilbert, so much"

* * *

 **So! For me this was a difficult chapter to write, it took me _ages_. I was just never satisfied. Not in hundred percent sure I am now either, but here it is!**

 **Leave me a comment, telling me what I did good, bad and so on. Also, tell me what you want for an ending, only ten chapters left!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	16. The Woman

**Hi, sorry! I have had a really busy holiday but I planned on updating this anyway but as you have noticed it didn't turn out that way. I am really sorry, hope this chapter makes up for the wait.**

 **This chapter is from Elijah's perspectiva and we gets to see loads of Kalijah (it's actually only Kalijah in this chapter) As I said before I have a hard time writing this couple as good as I think they should be written but I hope that you finds the outcome satisfying.**

 **Enjoy this chapter, even though it's a day late!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16 - The Woman**

He looks up from the papers in his hand only to met Katarina's eyes where she stands in the doorway.

"Hello, Katarina. What brings you here today?" he asks the stunning woman politely as he turns a paper to look on the other side.

"I was bored" she walks into the room, without an invitation, in such daring manner that he can't help but smile a little. She is too bold for her own good. "Figured I could get you to entertain me".

Elijah lifts his gaze to look at the brunette in front of him as she sits down on the cair on the other side of the table and crosses her legs in a manner that is both loose and sexy as well as full of power. That is a rare quality, he should now.

He can't even count the number of women that have walked into his office trying to be sexy thinking that it would get them better deals. It never did, he had never been anyone to be impressed of showing. Neither can he count the number of women walking into his office, trying to look powerful, usually these women are from another law firm and as a feminist, he refuses to tell them that they don't succeed.

"It is two days to the wedding and the first guest will be coming in two hours, can't you find anything else to do then come visit me?" he asks, trying to make her go away because he has many things he needs to do and it's bad enough that he can't seem to think about anything but her, he doesn't need her in the same room as him while he tries to work.

Tatia almost blew his company up and he won't let the next woman with a nice figure and daring attitude make him lose sight of what's important.

"Ouch, Elijah" comes from the other side of the dinner table as Katarina gracefully throws her hair over a shoulder and puts her hand over her chest, covering a little bit of her deep neckline.

"I have hundred placement cards to write in an hour. I am sorry, Katarina but I cannot entertain you right now" he does a little gesture against the cards on the table, about twenty of them named.

"Why would you get that assignment, aren't their others how can do that? You have a company to run" she says, leaning forward in her chair.

Elijah nearly drops his pen, nearly. She is the only one who has thought of that, not even Niklaus, that runs his own part of the company, had.

He seemed a little distracted with miss Forbes lately and Elijah couldn't blame him, she is a lovely girl, but Niklaus could, of course, show his affection to her when he wasn't supposed to sit in a phone meeting with one of his clients, a meeting Elijah had been forced to sit through instead so that now is he even more behind.

"That is very true" he says, smiling slightly at her. Katarina straightens a little in the chair, looking pleased with herself. He shakes her head as he writes Freya's name on a card. "But apparently I am the only one able to write the names nicely enough to be trusted with this". Katarina smiles almost warmly at that, shaking her head so her hair moves down her shoulders again.

"Caroline's words, right? I heard her when she told Klaus that he didn't do it nicely enough" she laughs a little "she is hopeless once she is in that mode, all you can do is listen, not even I am able to make her change her mind".

"And normally you can?" Elijah asks, amused. She seems very sure of herself.

"I can change everyone's mind," Katarina says, meeting his eyes in all her smugness. "But I also know that Caroline approves of both mine and Elena's handwriting so I can do that and you can call a client or whatever you have to do which is more important than this."

Katarina stands and walks around the table, with long, powerful steps. He isn't used to this. It was years a woman held his interest. She puts one of her hand on his arm as the other takes the pen from his hand. He can't help but let his eyes drift to her daring neckline and beautiful breast for half a second before he snaps back into himself.

"Am I allowed to ask why you would help me with this? I am pretty sure that you have other things to do today, miss Forbes hasn't been sitting down for hours, neither has Rebekah or Niklaus" he asks.

He seriously wants to know why she, that hardly knows him, want to help him with what seems like no egocentric reasons. He to smart to go along with it without question it.

"I am an owner of a company myself but it's on holiday right now, well I am on a holiday, so I know for certain that you have more important things to do than this because it's always something more important to do. Plus that if I do this Caroline can't assault me of not helping and force me into doing some person's bed". Katarina shudders like it's the absolute worst thing that she can think of. This time he does laugh at her and it's her turn to give him an amused look.

"Alright, you can help. I have a call to make" Elijah grabs his phone and dials Gia's number.

"I am sure you do" Katarina says as she takes his place, starting to write the name in a fabulous manner.

"So, my lord, have you done everything you need to do?" Katarina teasingly asks him an hour later, when they both have counted the cards.

"Yes, I have, my lady. Why?" he plays along as they sit on either side of the table, looking at each other. Once again Elijah sees the daring glint in her eye that catches his attention. She isn't like any other woman he has ever met.

"I was thinking that you could take me to the city and go with me on a wine tasting there" she throws her hair back again, crossing her legs as she checks on her long red fingernails while succeeding in looking both bored and extremely sexy at the same time. Elijah gives her a long look.

"A wine tasting?" he asks her questioning, his voice full amusement. "Why take me to a wine tasting?"

"Because I am too bored to go myself and the only other ones I could bring are either Caroline or Stefan and they are both pretty busy" Katarina shrugs her shoulder and smiles cutely at him.

Elijah shakes his head as he grabs the suit jacket that he had putten on the table while he was talking with Marcel for the second time in thirty minutes. Katarina looks smug as she walks out of the door without looking back. Elijah kindly follows her, she is a lady after all, and he is a gentleman. He hurries a little so that he can open the car door to her. She looks exactly as confident as she always does as he drives off.

"So, how is Caroline doing these last days? She seems better" he asks kindly. She immediately tenses. Not much, if he hadn't spent years studying people's expressions he wouldn't have noticed, she is a good actress.

"Yes, she is feeling better. A little uncomfortable around your sister but seriously, I can't see many people how wouldn't be. Except for Freya, it seems" she says, doing a nonchalant gesture. Elijah forces his face to look serious before he continues.

"I apologize if you've ever felt uncomfortable around my sister. I love her but she can get… intimidating when she is stressed" he says, doing a little gesture of himself while still holding in the wheel.

"Me? Intimidated of your sister?" Katarina gives him a look that clearly says that that is the most bizarre thing she has ever heard. "She has nothing on Caroline when she is in that mode. You just wait" she says, shaking her head and he bites his lips and lifts his eyebrows, making himself look on the road ahead and her as she strokes a hand over her, very tight, shirt.

"I have actually heard that she is a demon when she is planning something" Elijah says calmly, trying to be a little mysterious.

"Ah, Damon told you. I bet Stefan elbowed him in the side for that one" Katrina checks her nails again and Elijah glances at her, impressed. To not be paying attention, which she wants him to believe she is doing, she knows a lot. She glances at him and he pretends not to notice. He doubts anyone else would and he doesn't want to ruin her confidence.

"So, how come that three hot brothers from England how are owners of a company are all singles?" she asks. Elijah feels a pull on the corner of his lips. He knows that Katarina is looking for the good stuff about Niklaus, to tell Caroline when she gets home.

"No one of us is that into the idea of settling down, I guess" Elijah shrugs his shoulder, trying to take all his amusement out of his voice. Katarina gives him a searching look.

"That's not it" she states, looking forward as Elijah shocked lifts his eyebrows and glances at her. "I would have believed you if we were talking about Kol but both you and Klaus seems like guys that would love to come home to a wife"

"Really?" Elijah asks. It's the only thing he can bring himself to say because all she is saying is true. He wants to get married and he knows that Niklaus, underneath all that insecurity that comes out as anger, would love that, too.

"Yes! And you were engaged once, right? Why be engaged if you aren't into marriage?" she continues.

"I already told you that it was a mistake" he sighs. Katarina looks at him now. Studies him for a little while before she shrugs and looks on the road ahead instead.

Elijah casually taps on the steering wheel, awaiting her next words. He knows for a fact that she hasn't given up, women like her simply don't give up.

"And Klaus, why doesn't he wants to get married?" comes after a while, a little quiet.

That shocks Elijah, and that itself shocks him because rarely anything shocks him these days, because he thought she was going to ask about him again. He thinks she likes him, she has made her intentions with him very clear. But somehow figuring out if Niklaus are dating material for Caroline is more important.

Yes, Elijah knows that she is asking for Caroline because no matter how uncaring Katarina seems Elijah sees a weak spot in her unbreakable armor. Her family; Elena and Caroline. He can see it because he has the same weak spot, he is one of the best lawyers in England, it takes a lot to take him down but he would fall to his knees faster than possible if anyone threatened his family. Then again no one, and he means no one, has hurt his family and are walking free.

"He has issues with expressing his feelings. Or well… at least the ones that aren't anger and betrayal" he does a little ironic movement with his head and he can see Katarina smile slyly beside him. "What?" he asks, smiling back against her, without even think about it.

She draws the corners of her mouth downwards, acting as if she is considering her options. Elijah knows that she knows exactly what she will say. He is starting to see her pattern, she always has something to say even before the person talking to her is done speaking.

"You said something bad about your brother" she says after a moment, giving him an easy smile, not one of those smug grins and he can't help but smile back, a familiar, yet unknown, feeling pulling at his chest.

"No one of us is perfect, not even Niklaus" he says, shaking his head and gripping the wheel harder. He isn't used to people pointing out things about his family for him, it's normally too much of a mess for anyone to even start to understand.

"I bet you see yourself as pretty close to perfect" the slyness is back in he voice as she pulls her moth together in an extremely cute facial expression. Normally he would let her think that. He thinks highly of himself, partly because he knows that he is good and partly because he has figured out that if he doesn't no one else will either, he needs to think highly of himself.

But he has big doubts about himself, too. Sometimes he feels like he has failed his family. The only women interested in him wanted his money. Except for the one that wanted to crush his business. Nor is he a good friend to anyone. He is always angry at Niklaus and Rebekah for not finding friends but he doesn't have them himself.

If she was anyone else he would have ignored her comment. But she isn't anyone else, she is Katarina. She is the woman that he actually has started to have feelings for. The first one to catch his eyes in years and in some weird way he trusts her. Despite him never trusting anyone and her being a selfish manipulative man-eater. So he ends up saying:

"No" while glancing at her from the corner of his eye, looking for her reaction.

"Well, I'm pretty close to perfect, you can take a part of that if you want" she says after a few quiet seconds, giving him a big smile, full of both smugness and teasing. He chuckles lightly and shakes his head.

"How come that you don't have a boyfriend then?" he asks her. Katarina's smile falls and she fiddles with her nails.

"I have met tons of men that claim to be in love with me but I don't think love is real unless it's returned" Katarina mumbles, glancing up at him.

"And you want that" it's not a question, it is a statement. He sees it, in all the little details that she do all the time. She isn't committing, to anyone. She puts her family, the family she has left, first, she doesn't want to get tied down. She is him. Just a little more sexually active version of him but a version of him none the less. He is also certain about another thing at that moment. He likes her.

"Is it wrong, don't you want more?" she asks, looking at him. He opens his mouth only to close it again and then open it again without saying so much as a word. He slams it shut when he realizes how stupid he must look.

"I do not believe in love, Katarina" he says at last. It feels safe and at the same time not disparaging of her turn of mind.

"I will choose not to believe that" Katarina says, crossing her arms over her chest again, looking stubborn. He lifts an eyebrow, a silent question that she answers just seconds later. "Life is too cruel, trust me I've seen it. I'm not a romantic but if we choose to not believe in love we voluntary choose away the only reason we have to live. I don't believe that you have done that. You are a handsome man with so much to offer, it's idiotic" she says, doing a motion with her hands in the air.

He is stunned by her, so stunned he can't speak, it has been years since someone stunned him into silence and yet here she is, succeeding after half an hour in a car. It's minutes until he opens his mouth again next time and then is all he says:

"Here we are" and he isn't proud of it. But he doesn't know what else to do.

* * *

 **Sorry that this is so short, the next chapter will be longer promise. :)**

 **Leave a comment, I'm not lying when I say that it makes my day every single time!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	17. The Bachelorette

**Here is part seventeen, finally! This past is from Freya's point of view and the reason it hasn't been posted earlier is because I just found it really hard to write from her perspective. So hard, in fact, that I wrote two full chapters on this story and four on another one before I finished this. And I'm still not happy with the result.**

 **So this is a really short, really bad chapter but after I have two other's that I think is pretty good do you will not have to wait for me anymore. "If there still are people waiting, I really hope it is).**

 **With that said, let's jump in, we have had enough wait for this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - The Bachelorette**

Rebekah is standing on the terrace, kissing Stefan in a deep, sensual way. Freya smiles and grabs Keelin's hand, hugging it tightly.

"Aww" says a voice behind her suddenly. Freya jumps a little because she thought she and Keelin where alone. Keelin gives her an amused look and then turns around to smile at Elena.

"Hi" she says, voice kind but Freya could hear the underlying irritated tone. They all knew that Elena once had dated Stefan and Freya is very protective of Rebekah, and Keelin is very protective of Freya.

"Hey, have you seen Damon, he was supposed to be here?" Elena asks. Rebekah had told her everything about Elena's relationship with the brothers the previous evening Rebekah was st the fact that Elena now officially was together with Damon Freya felt weird about it. It wasn't really her view of love, to go from a brother to a next. But what does she know, she is married to a woman after all.

"No, sorry" Freya says at the same time that a voice is heard from the other side of the terrace, where Damon shows up from nowhere. He is panting hard and sweating so it's clear that he has been

"Right here, sorry" He walks against them, wiping his forehead with his arm. He kisses Elena on the cheek and gives Freya and Keelin an apologetic smile. "Everything ready?" he asks and Elena nods, her brown eyes are big and they never leave his face.

"Yes" she answers. Damon turns to her again and it's clear that they forget that Freya and Keelin are there. He leans down and kisses her on the mouth. Keelin tugs on Freya's shirt.

"Let's go separate the other love couple, we need to get going" she whispers and Freya nobs her head, following Keelin away from Damon and Elena that now is totally lost in each other. Freya smiles and follows her wife to Stefan and Rebekah. They were meant to blindfold Rebekah to take her to her bachelorette party and Caroline, who seemed like an even more strict version of Rebekah, had given Freya and Keelin that task, claiming that no one else could do it with their life intact.

Kol, that had been in the room mostly teasing Bonnie, had volunteered to do it and Caroline had immediately turned him down with the words 'yeah, I didn't like you but I don't want to be planning a funeral and a wedding at the same time so we stick to the original plan'. Kol, how never had been good at being upset, soon went back to tease Bonnie. The way he is protective of her and at the same time gives her full credit for everything she does is surprising. She didn't know that Kol was responsible, let alone mature, enough to love a girl the way he loves this girl.

Freya smiles at the thought. She had always thought of Elijah as incapable of feelings against someone that wasn't his family. She had a feeling that he had liked her as a sister when she and Rebekah had been hanging out the most but it never seemed possible for him to feel anything.

She had been shocked when Rebekah told her about Tatia, and even more so when she saw how Elijah looks at Katherine, who he clearly liked. Klaus loved, loves, Rebekah. Freya had never even questioned that a moment, neither did she question his relationships with his brothers because she knows that he loves them to in his own, dark way. But to see Klaus' eyes shine up, to hear him talk kindly to a girl that is unpleasant against him is new.

She is shocked, to say the least, with what Caroline can do but Rebekah is beaming because 'who knew he had feelings' and Freya can't say she doesn't like it.

"Come on, Romeo and Juliet, it's time for you to go separate ways until tonight… tomorrow's the big day" Keeling sing songs as she is a few meters away from the, still snogging, couple. Stefan laughed a little, joining Freya as he handed Rebekah over to them.

"I better go see what Klaus and Damon have planned for me before Klaus and Caroline gets into another fight because of their unresolved sexual tension" he takes a few steps away, glances at his brother and his brunette girl and pulls a face "or Damon eats Elena's face" he continues. He smiles easy at them, throws Rebekah a kiss and runs off. Freya almost can' hide her smile when Caroline comes walking from the same direction.

Freya and Caroline, that held Rebekah's other arm, stopped in front of the gates to a big house.

"Alright, we will take off your blindfold on three" Ferya looks at Caroline to make sure that she is in on the idea. "1… 2… 3" Freya pulls off the blindfold and Rebekah is left staring at the house with the little group of girls around her. Beside Freya, Keelin, Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine, and Elena is even Hayley, how is married to Jackson that is a business partner to the family, and Davina there. Davina was a girl that still went the first year in college and that the family provided for financially. She and Rebekah had gotten a pretty good relationship over the last year.

"Wow" Rebekah says, but Caroline looks more impressed than she does. Freya gives her and Bonnie a little smile, she knows how it is to not be from a wealthy family and how impressed you are the first time you see things like this. Freya herself was only a teacher for 5th graders. "What is this place?" she asks and Freya sees how Katherine smiles, this should be fine.

"Well, it is Elijah's" Katherine says as she steps forward to stand beside Rebekah. "it's his 'safe house' just outside of Rome and the decorations are from me and Caroline's decoration firm" she says and presses a button to open the gates.

"So, what are we doing here?" Rebekah asks confused.

"We" Caroline says, almost bouncing of joy "are having a girls night out with a sleepover. Freya said you never had one of these so you simply must have one before you get married".

"Plus that there is a pool so we are going to have a pool party and the guys should look in in about six hours so that we can have some good views" Katherine continues. They both smile wildly, even though Caroline's smile looks excited and Katherine's looks sly.

"What are we waiting for then?" Rebekah says and runs forward through the gates. Freya smiles against the other's and follows quietly. Caroline gets Elena to run with her. Bonnie laughs at them but Katherine just shakes her head. Freya is impressed by her and her never failing forever perfect posture. Hayley waggles a little behind them, she is seven months pregnant and clearly in no shape to run.

A few hours later is Bonnie and Elena having some sort of water war while Katerie is doing laps, again. Caroline is laying back in a sun chair on the other side of Hayley, who is sleeping.

"Are you feeling weird about having me at the wedding?" Freya asks after a while, putting a strawberry in her mouth Rebekah gives her a confused look.

"You are like the only person, except for my brothers, that I had pictured there from the beginning" she answers.

"I know" Freya sighs. "But you weren't at mine and now you have it all planned out and I haven't even talked to your fiance yet" Freya says.

Rebekah smiles a little against her.

"You will love Stefan. Everybody loves Stefan" Freya can't help but laugh. Rebekah laughs with her.

"I figured, he has both you and Nik on his side and all if these girls practically dropping everything to help and plan his wedding".

"Yeah, he is just one of the good guys" Rebekah says dreamingly.

"That's good, you need one of the good guys in your life. If life hasn't changed drastically since I left you haven't had many of them" Freya leans forward and hugs Rebekah, hard.

"I'm just happy that you are here" Rebekah looks at her with tears in her eyes and Freya feel herself melt.

"Hey" she says and lays her hand on Rebekah's leg "I told you that I will always be here"

 _3 years ago_

 _"I just, I can't believe that he actually proposed to her. She's like the daughter of the devil" Rebekah says as she throws herself over Freya's bed. Freya moves to save the books lying on it._

 _"She really can't be that bad. If you, you know, don't count the fact that she dated Klaus before Elijah and always looks bored" she tries. She knows Rebekah don't like Tatia and she gets why but considering she and Elijah are getting married it's about time that Rebekah at least gives her a chance._

 _There was a time when she was younger when she wished she was a Mikaelson. They always protected each other and no matter how mad they were at each other they always had each other's backs. You couldn't hurt a Mikaelson without having the other Mikaelsons hunting you down._

 _At least that was how it normally was. That's why she was so surprised when Elijah actually started dating Tatia. Not only had she dated Klaus previously but she had also hurt him, which meant that, according to the Mikaelson family pact, Elijah was supposed to be angry at her as well. But he clearly wasn't._ _He had fallen in love with her instead._

 _Freya thinks she has easier to understand than Rebekah. She has easier to love than her friend, which wasn't strange at all if you looked at the family history the Mikaelsons had. That's why Freya no longer wanted to be a Mikaelson, the family was damaged and she liked to see herself as not. Most of the time at least._

 _"What if he starts hating me now?" Rebekah suddenly asks, looking worried._

 _"What do you mean?" Freya questions, because she can't see Klaus starting to hate Rebekah, she was his favorite after all._

 _"I can't come around this, I will never like Tatia but I'm sure Klaus will forgive her some time in the future and Elijah has clearly done so already" Rebekah looks like she is on the verge of tears and that scares Freya. Rebekah may have a short way to her feeling and show them clearly but she wasn't a cryer._

 _"They won't, you are family, that has always been an important thing for you" she puts a hand on Rebekah's shoulder and makes the girl sit up so that they are facing each other, Rebekah with her arms around her knees and Freya crosslegged._

 _"But now Tatia will be family, too" Rebekah hulks. Freya leans forward and puts both her hands over Rebekah's._

 _"Not blood family" she assures her softly. "And Kol is on your side, remember?" she adds because the twins have always had a tight bond._

 _"_ Yeah _" Rebekah says, smiling a little through the tears. "But he is never home anymore" she sounds sad again and Freya pulls a face._

 _They sit quietly for a little while and then Freya hugs Rebekah's hand._

 _"But I'm right here, and I will always be on your side. I stay right here, I promise" Rebekah hugs her, tight, almost so tight Freya can't breathe._

 _"Thank you" she mumbles into Freya's hair "thank you"._

"Okay, I just talked with both Klaus and… Stefan" Freya and Rebekah both flinch when Caroline starts talking and Freya takes her hand back She notices Caroline's small unsettledness when she mentions Stefan's name and when she glances at Rebekah, they blonde girl gives her a questioning look.

It's clear that Rebekah noticed it, too. Whatever it is. "and the guys will be here in an hour so I am gonna ask you, girls, to take half a card from Bonnie", Bonnie shows up beside her, waving some cards in the air, "the guys will be given the other half of the cards and the one with the opposite card is the one you team up with for the nights games, all right?" some says yes and Caroline disappears into the house.

"I don't like the connection she has with Stefan" Rebekah mumbles lowly.

"Well, it really doesn't matter, does it? He chose you after all" Keelin, that now is sitting behind Freya says and puts her hand on Freya's back. She turns and smiles against her wife.

"Yes, that's true" Rebekah is smiling now, a bright smile that Freya isn't familiar with but that she guesses Stefan brings forward. She smiles back.

"Rebekah? I'm so sorry to interrupt but I wanted to say congratulations" a brown haired girl with beautiful brown-green eyes says.

"Thank you Davina" Rebekah answers kindly. The girl stands by them for a few seconds and Rebekah glances at Freya, a little smile on her lips. "Was it something more, something about my twin brother maybe?" she asks and the girl, Davina, blushes dark red. Freya turns away to hide her smile and is met by Keelin's sparkling eyes.

"No! I… I was wondering if I could invite someone to this party?" she asks, stuttering.

"Oh, a boyfriend?" Rebekah asks.

"No, he is very much gay" Davina says and now her answer is short and she glares a little. You can clearly see that she doesn't appreciate being teased.

"Yes, of course, that's fine" Rebekah replies and then turns away. Davina doesn't seem to care that her attitude was answered in kind, she leaves with her head held high.

"Well, what do you say?" Rebekah asks suddenly "time to get this party started, right? and then she dives into the pool without so much as a splash. Freya gives Keelin a challenging look and in the next moment, they are both following her, racing each other to the pool.

* * *

 **Well, that's it! I know it's bad, I promise next week will be better.**

 **Leave a comment, scold me for not updating if nothing else.**

 **I see you next week, thanks for reading despite of the wait!**


	18. The Bachelor

**So, here is the next chapter.**

 **This one is parallel with the last, Stefan's point of view during his own bachelor party. The after party when they celebrate together will be in the next chapter.**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18 - The Bachelor**

Stefan sighed when Damon drove into the parking lot of a bar that isn't too far away from their home.

"I can't get drunk, Damon. I am getting married tomorrow" he says. Behind him Tyler huffs and Klaus moves forward to grip his shoulder.

"I am sure that Rebekah is hammered already, she won't even notice" he says like it's supposed to be shooting.

"Plus that it's not like you get drunk on one drink" Jeremy, Elena and Katherine's younger brother and Bonnie's boyfriend jumps in. Stefan consciously ignores him and step out of the car. The others follow closely behind.

"Come on, Stefan! You can show me once and for all that I am the boring brother." Tyler huffed again. Stefan doesn't even know what he's doing here. Stefan hasn't talked with him since he dumped Caroline.

He guessed Matt had invited him, Matt and Tyler had been best friends since childhood and Stefan had seen more than one time that Matt was Tyler's weakness. Like the time he hit Matt in the face. Or when he just happened to run into him, as hard as he could on the football field.

"What's up with you, I am here to drink, not stay on this spot!" Tyler says as he half runs against the door, pulling a bored Matt, that came with the other car, with him.

"You were the one how said that it would be awkward if he wasn't here" Damon says defensively, showing his hand at Stefan's stern look in his direction.

"I didn't mean that you should invite him" he hisses, shooting daggers at his brother.

"But you did tell me to not NOT invite him" Damon says and before Stefan can snap at him again Enzo jumps in with a smug look, his British accent thick after spending the car ride helping Kol to bicker with Elijah.

"That's true, mate, I heard you, too" he says and then leads Damon away.

Stefan rolls his eyes as he looks after them, the three Mikaelson brother's since long disappearing into the bar after Matt and Tyler. Alaric comes up beside him, turning if his phone. Jeremy walks in just a few steps after them.

"Just had to tell Jenna that I wouldn't be able to reach her more tonight" he says. Damon smiles kindly at him. He is Damon's best friend from the united states and he's married to Elena's aunt, Jenna, so it was natural that he was here. He also was a teacher to all of them in high school, when he and Elena been dating so he and Stefan know each other well.

"Well, let's go then" he says and starts walking, Alaric walking beside him.

"Are you ready?" he asks, giving Stefan a reassuring smile. He isn't the first one to ask the question but it is the first one that Stefan feels okay with asking it. Alaric has married himself, he sure knows what Stefan is feeling right now.

"Now or never" he answers, keeping his tone light. Understanding crosses Alaric's face, either way, he is a teacher, Stefan assumes that he has seen lovesick boys uncomfortable with their own decision of relationships before. Probably felt it himself.

"And here we have the special man of the night" Damon says not seconds after Stefan has walked through the door, waving a hand in his and Alaric's direction. The little crowd of people in the bar clap their hands and a blond, handsome woman with a deep neckline presses a drink in his hand.

"On the house" she says, blinking, before walking away with swaying hips. Stefan stares after her for a moment before he turns his gaze to Damon with a glare.

"Oh, what did Damon do now" Alaric chuckles beside him. As one of Damon's best friends and a little of an alcoholic is he used to this, as is Stefan but that doesn't mean that he will take it.

"I don't know but I intend to find out" he says and leaves Alaric by the door as he walks to Damon in a few long steps.

"What did you do?" he growls near his brother's ear. Damon backs away with a smug look on his face and chuckles.

"Relax, Stefan" he says and lifts his glass in a mocking manner before emptying it in one swift move. "I didn't do anything that you won't enjoy" he lifts his eyebrows and gives him a look that Stefan knows means that he is in trouble.

"What did you do?" he asks again, a little sharper but Damon just chuckles and turns him against another woman with big boobs and red lips.

"You Stefan, right?" she asks. Stefan just stares at her a moment and then walks away from her and his brother.

"Care to tell me what he said that makes every single woman in this pub seem to want me?" Stefan asks as he sits down beside Klaus and Elijah at a table. Damon is still talking to the girl he just left, Alaric behind him and Tyler are taking shots with a guy and three, very loud, girls on the other side of the room. Stefan rolls his eyes at this.

"He said that your fiance just died and that you need some comfort. He may also have mentioned that you are marvelous in bed" Elijah says it with excessive enthusiasm with a dramatic motion with his hands in front of him and Stefan understands that he is mad. It is hard to tell with Elijah since he always is serious and stiff but Stefan has been spending so much time with him that he can read the older man pretty well.

"Ohh" he groans and buries his head in his hands. He is also pissed, though for another reason. Elijah is pissed for Rebekah's sake, Stefan knows that she can take care of himself and is madder at Damon for being an arse.

"Is that Caroline's ex?" Klaus suddenly asks him and Stefan pulls back up, flicking his eyes to Tyler that now leaning halfway over a girl.

"Yes" he says, glancing at his best friend. For the last days had he been unable to shut up about Caroline and Stefan knows how easily jealous he is. He may not like Tyler but he doesn't want him to be beaten down the day before Stefan's marriage, on Stefan's bachelor party.

"He looks highly intelligent" Elijah says, putting the little book that he had has in his hand and starts reading. Stefan lifts his eyebrow, he can't believe that Elijah really is reading on his bachelor party. Klaus snorts and Stefan finally realizes what Elijah said and he snorts too.

"He isn't, but he isn't stupid either. A really good football player" Stefan says, it isn't like he can talk bad about Tyler, he has been one of his best friends since high school after all.

"Right, you did that kind of things" Elijah comments, not even looking up. Stefan raises an eyebrow and turns to Klaus with a questioning look. Klaus shrugs his shoulder and leans over the table against his friend.

"I did that kind of stuff too when I was younger, as did Kol" he reminds his brother.

"Well, it's good with exercise" Elijah's voice is still cold. Stefan stares at him.

"I really would have disliked being your son, dude" he then says with a little laugh.

"Well then it's lucky that you aren't, 'dude'" Elijah comments, finally looking up from the book.

Stefan shakes her head as Damon comes sitting down with them, taking Elijah's book away. Stefan glances at Klaus and sees that he has just as much problem not to laugh at Elijah's disbelieving face as Stefan has.

"Let's gather together, we are here to celebrate after all" Damon says as Kol and Jeremy walks over with Matt who is carrying a salver with multiple beer glasses on. He is a bartender home in Mystic Falls so he had no problem to do it all by himself. Enzo crashes down on a chair just as the others sit down Alaric coming right after him.

Klaus sits closest to the wall, Stefan beside him and then has both Alaric and Damon pressed themselves down. Then sit Enzo and Kol on a chair each, Kol's chair turned so that he is leaning his elbows on it's back. On the other sides are Jeremy, Matt, and Elijah.

"To Stefan, how is getting married tomorrow" Damon lifts his glass and all the others follow suit.

"To Stefan" they all call out. Stefan lifts his hand in a shy motion and everyone laughs as they lifted their glasses to drink.

"Thank you guys" he says as he puts the glass down.

"We will be leaving in one hour and 23 minutes, don't want to be missing the show" Klaus says at Stefan side and glances at his clock before he gives Stefan a smug smile.

"Oh no, what have you done?" he asks because he can see on Klaus that he has done something.

"I did" Kol jumps in from the other end of the table "it was just Klaus idea" he sticks his tongue out against his brother and Klaus shakes his head as Elijah glares warningly at him.

"It was Damon's idea, too. I helped Kol here plan it" Enzo cuts in, giving Stefan one of his charming smiles. They had never liked each other in the beginning but they had been getting closer these last years. Especially since Eno was in love with Stefan's best childhood friend from here, Lexi and they are starting to explore a relationship.

Lexi how, sadly, was busy at her works as a nurse in Rome right now and wouldn't come back until exactly before the wedding. Stefan can see that Enzo is waiting for her and he's happy for them.

He glances at Elijah and Klaus, remembering a time when he was waiting.

 _1 and ½ years ago_

 _Stefan laughs as he sits down beside Klaus at the table in his kitchen. Damon is out with Enzo and some girls and Klaus have nothing to do since no one of his siblings is in town anymore. Stefan has had a really hard time to stop thinking about Klaus sister, which he really shouldn't do, since she walked into Klaus' home that night, fuming of anger and unstoppable._

 _He has only been talking short phrases with her since then, even though he has been in Klaus' apartment way more often these last two weeks than he normally is. It was mostly simple phrases that were a little flirtatious._

 _Like 'it's eight in the morning, what are you even doing here' in adorable pajamas answered with the reply 'seeing your face this early in the morning simply makes my day' to more right out flirting with words like 'Oh, Salvatore. What a surprise to see you here again' followed with an eye-roll that didn't fool anyone and his answer 'I am simply living for your lovely comments due to my presence'._

" _Rebekah asked for you yesterday" Klaus says suddenly._

" _Really?" Stefan answers after a while, trying to not sound too happy about it. "I thought she didn't like me". Klaus sorts that, putting a hand on Stefan's back.  
_

" _She's always like that, a little bitchy. But she is nice and she is crawling after every hot guy she ever sees so she definitely likes you" Stefan looks at the table, suddenly finding it very interesting but he can't help but trying to defend Rebekah.  
_

" _Maybe she only does that because you and Elijah scares of every guy she ever had home"_

" _Maybe but I want her to have a guy that I trust to pick her in front of anyone else" Klaus pats his back after he emptied his glass and walks away, leaving a confused Stefan by the table. He sits, unmoving dor minutes concluding what Klaus told him and then he hastily starts searching for his phone. He finds it, under a couple of fast food bags on the kitchen counter and he dials a number that he knows by heart after he has been close to calling it for days. He presses the call button and waits anxiously.  
_

" _Hello, Stefan?" Caroline's voice says in his ear._

Stefan's still thinking about it hours later. They are playing laser tag, Klaus, Matt, Tyler, and Kol on his team and Damon, Enzo, Elijah, Jeremy, and Alaric on the other. Alaric was the master, he always played, despite being a professor in his early thirties and married he always had time for this. The others, Damon, himself, Jeremy, Matt, and Tyler, often tagged along so they were pretty good, too.

The big surprise of the night was that Kol was the master of the masters, literally unstoppable, for all of the teams on the field and that Klaus wasn't that much after. Even Elijah pulled off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, and he was good, his aim was like something in a movie, Stefan doesn't think that he missed one shot.

"Come on, Fluffy, we can't stand here all day" Kol is suddenly right beside him, his gun against his own chest and Klaus is by his side, his gun hanging loosely in his hand.

"Fluffy?" Stefan snorts, glancing at Klaus' face but the guy seems far too interested in their surroundings to notice.

"Yeah, you know the hair" Kol waves his hand, clearly interested and then he peeks around a corner and shots three shoots. "Escapeway free, come on now, newly brother, we can't lose this shit" and then Klaus is pushing him around the corner, shooting someone himself.

An hour later it stands clear that Stefan, Klaus, Kol, and Matt have indeed won. Tyler had disappeared somewhere with someone, no one really knows. Stefan is still looking at Klaus in the corner of his eyes. Did he misread the conversion they had then? Because when he first heard it he was sure that Klaus told him to stay as far away from Rebekah he could come, when he thought about it now, it sounded more like Klaus was inviting him into getting together with her.

"Well, we had fun, time to hit the next stop if we don't want to be late" Elijah suddenly says with a look on his watch as e rolls down his sleeves again.

"Wait" Stefan says, looking at Klaus, Elijah, and Kol where they stand looking secretive and smug. "you helped plan this?" Elijah lifts an eyebrow at him clearly not impressed but Kol and Klaus just laugh.

"Of course we did, you are marrying our sister, and believe it or not, hair gel, we like you" Kol says with a big grin. Stefan laughs and gives the man a hug and then laugh again when he can feel Kol practically jumping with excitement.

"Your one of my best friends, Rippah, of course, I helped plan this" Klaus says and Stefan gives him a hug too. "And it is pretty sure to say that our dear sister would have killed us if we didn't" he adds in Stefan's ear. Stefan snorts because yes, he can totally see his fiancée do that.

"We are just happy that our sister is marrying a man that loves and respect her just as much as we do" Elijah says and shakes Stefan's hand. Stefan wants to say a 'thank you, sir' because it feels right when you take a man like Elijah in hand but he settles on a:

"And I'm happy that I am marrying into your family, I truly am" he says, his other hand on his chest.

"Aww, Steffy is getting all touchy again" Damon says behind them, ruining the moment.

"Yes, sorry to break your beautiful family… thing, but we have to go" Matt jumps in, waving a hand in no particular way.

"Yeah, right, let's go. Lead the way" Stefan says and Kol runs of, the other following him at a normal speed. He glances at Klaus that walks beside him, hand on his back and he wants to put his hand on Klaus' shoulder and tell him 'I help you get Caroline just like you helped me get Rebekah'. But he can't. He just can't.

* * *

 **That's it. I know that I haven't had much Klaroline nor Kennett in the story thus far and I promise that they will show up in the remaining chapters.**

 **Please, please, please leave a comment and tell me what you thought. Bad? Good? Whishes for scenes?**

 **Thank you for reading, hopefully, I'll see you soon again!**


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